(under the class definition) Product comprising a web*, sheet* or block* in which an exposed area of the product or the region immediately adjacent thereto has a particular claimed physical property or structure.
(1) Note. The surface characteristic must not be that of a web, sheet or component* of different composition applied as a layer* or coating or laminate; the characteristic must be due to treatment of the surface of a material of generally the same composition throughout so that if the superficial outermost area is removed, the result is a product of the same composition, but of different surface characteristic.
(2) Note. Treatment of the surface by a chemical (e.g., etching, etc.) or by wave or other form of energy which yields the desired characteristic is placed in this or the indented subclass; however treatment by a coating which reacts with and forms a layer of totally different composition is excluded and will be found below on other features, such as composition of the layers, (see especially subclass 420).
SEE OR SEARCH THIS CLASS, SUBCLASS:
40+, for a product comprising a plurality of separable parts, at least one of which must be removed to expose an adhesive coating.
141+, for a web or sheet which has a continuous but nonuniform or irregular finish which may be a coating and need not be on the outermost surface. The main difference between subclasses 141 and 409+ is that in the latter, the surface characteristic is that obtained by treating or modifying the surface without adding a layer. The superficial surface must have the same composition as the remainder of the sheet; in the former the finish may be due to a coating. In subclasses 141+ the surface must be textured or irregular; in subclasses 409+ the surface can be smooth but must have some characteristic not present in the
remainder, e.g., smoothness, hardness, temper, etc.
