Description
Apparatus, device, implement or method for placing or displacingparticular articles in a particular manner or with reference toa particular support, for loading or unloading vehicles with materialsor objects in general, charging or discharging furnaces, bins, chambers,or other receptacles, stacking or piling articles or materials, alsocombinations of general types of carriers or forwarding mechanisms,which types, per se, are separately classified elsewhere, and generaltypes of elevators, cranes, or hoists when associated with specialmeans for handling the load to place it on the carrier or removeit therefrom.
(1)Note. The miscellaneous subclass of this class is designedto receive any material-moving mechanism for which no place has beenestablished elsewhere.
(2)Note. The term "handling" in the titleis intended to indicate in a general way those more or less complexand intricate movements, imparted to matter by instruments or mechanismswhich are deemed analogous to nonshaping manipulations, or the varyingmovements imparted to matter or objects by hand.
(3)Note. Treatment of matter to change its shape or conditionis not included in this class. As fabricating and material-conditioningapparatus have commonly associated with them means for bringingthe material to the shaping or conditioning instrumentalities orcarrying it therefrom, combinations of handling or conveying meanswith fabricating, shaping, or conditioning means are classifiedon the basis of the latter.
(4)Note. Earthworking in general effects a change in the shapeor form of matter and is classified on that basis; but the removingof earth by power scoops, shovels, and the like, which operate inthe same manner whether removing a pile of loose coal or grain orthe loose earth from an excavation, are classified on the basisof handling in this or other material-moving or transportation classes.Otherwise stated, those inventions relating to the excavating art, includingpower scoops, shovels or the like in which movement is impartedto such scoops or shovels subsequent to or in addition to thosemovements deemed necessary to complete an excavating operation,which additional movement is usually for transporting the excavatedmaterial to a disposal point, are considered to include such handlingof the excavated material as will provide a basis for classificationin this class (414). Even the teeth of scoops, commonly placedthere for excavating hard earth, may be broadly claimed in combinationwith a handling-machine otherwise falling into this class withoutexcluding the patent from this class, although the specific teethif claimed particularly, would go to a class of excavating or earthworking.
(5)Note. The separation of mixed solid materials by an operationdepending on differences of size, form, mass, or other physical propertiesof the mixed materials or objects is deemed to be a highly specialform of moving or handling materials, and the classes of separatingare deemed superior to this class.
(6)Note. Regarding land or water vehicles supporting other load-handlingdevices, the vehicle is deemed to be a mechanism unless the handlingmechanism is so combined with and related to the vehicle as to loador unload that vehicle or handle its load or cargo.
(7)Note. For a thorough search in material-handling, all subclassesfound in the index indicating by title a fabrication or material-treatingclass, with feeding, conveying, or other handling means, shouldbe inspected.