National Institute of Industrial Property, Brazil (BR)
Project: D271
Subject: SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS OR
SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL
IPC: B29C
Acction: Rapporteur Proposal – Definitions
Date: 04/05/2012
Title – B29C
Shaping or joining of plastics; shaping of substances in a plastic state,
in general; after- treatment of the shaped products, e.g. repairing.
Definition statement
This subclass covers:
Processes and apparatus for shaping or joining substances in a plastic state. Under the
guidance heading:
 'component parts, details or accessories, and auxiliary operations' are
included handling, moulds, cores, heating, cooling and curing;
 'particular shaping techniques and apparatus' are included types of moulding
and shaping, applying preformed layers, lining or sheathings, joining of
preformed parts, repairing and after-treatment of articles made from plastics
or from substances in a plastic state.
Relationship between large subject matter areas
As it is for the whole B29 class, B29C does not cover the working of plastics sheet material
in a manner analogous to the working of paper, which is covered by class B31.
B29C covers the shaping or joining of plastics or substances in a plastic state. This
subclass is often connected with the following areas:
 B29B, related to preparation or pretreatment of the material to be shaped,
making granules or preforms, beyond recovery of plastics or other constituents
of waste material containing plastics;
 B29D, related to processes and apparatus for the production of particular
articles from plastics or from substances in a plastic state, characterised by their
global structure, e.g. flat, hollow, or tubular articles, by their structural features,
e.g. provided with screw threads, corrugations, grooves or projections, or by
their purpose, e.g. buttons, optical elements, tyres or footwear;
 B32B, related to layered products (products built-up of strata of flat or nonflat, e.g. cellular or honeycomb form);
 C08J, related to chemical aspects or features for treating, compounding,
working-up or recovery of macromolecular substances not covered by
subclasses C08B, C08C, C08F, C08G or C08H;
 C08K, related to the use of inorganic or non-macromolecular organic
substances, or mixture thereof, as additives in composition of macromolecular
compounds;
 C08L, related to composition of organic macromolecular compounds, such as
polysaccharides and derivates, rubbers and derivates, macromolecular
compounds obtained by reactions involving or not carbon-to-carbon unsaturated
bonds, natural macromolecular compounds and derivatives.
References relevant to classification in this subclass
This subclass does not cover:
Curing devices for plastics prostheses
A61C 13/14
Making preforms
B29B 11/00
Conditioning or physical treatment of the material to be shaped
B29B 13/00
Retreading of pneumatic tyres
B29D 30/54
Methods or apparatus for laminating
B32B 37/00
Ancillary operations in connection with laminating processes
B32B 38/00
Layout of apparatus or plants
B32B 39/00
Arrangements for controlling or monitoring lamination processes
B32B 41/00
Devices for covering leaks in pipes or hoses
F16L 55/16
Examples of places where the subject matter of this subclass is covered when specially
adapted, used for a particular purpose, or incorporated in a large system:
Processing doughs
A21C
Processing meat
A22C
Working chocolate
A23G
Working cement, clay
B28
Working glass
C03B
Candle making
C11C 5/02
Making soap
C11D 13/00
Manufacture of artificial filaments, threads, fibres, bristles or ribbons
D01D, D01F
Manufacture of articles from cellulosic fibrous suspensions or from papiermâche
D21J
Places in relation to which this subclass is residual:
None.
Informative references
Attention is drawn to the following places, which may be of interest for search:
Foundry moulding
B22C
Machine tools
B23
Grinding or polishing
B24
Machines, devices or processes for grinding or polishing of optical elements B24B
Cutting work and details of apparatus related with
B26D
Means of perforating, punching, cutting-out, stamping-out and severing
B26F
Presses in general
B30B
Extrusion presses
B30B 11/22
Feeding material to presses
B30B 15/30
Making of boxes, cartons, envelopes, or bags
B31B
Making wound tubes
B31C
Devices or methods of sealing or securing package folds or closures
B65B 51/00
transport or storage devices
B65G
Preparation, chemical working-up
macromolecular compounds
and
compositions
of
Processes of treating or compounding macromolecular substances
organic C08
C08J 3/00
Manufacture of articles or shaped materials containing macromolecular C08J 5/00
substances
Chemical treatment or coating of shaped articles made of macromolecular C08J 7/00
substances
Adhesive processes in general
C09J 5/00
Materials for sealing or packing joints or covers
C09K 3/10
Devices for fastening or securing constructional elements or machine parts F16B
together
Measuring volume, volume flow, mass flow, or liquid level
G01F
Splicing of light guides
G02B 6/255
Basic electric elements such as spark gaps; overvoltage arresters using H01T
spark gaps; sparking plugs; corona devices
Plasma technique
H05H
Special rules of classification within this subclass
In this subclass the following rules must be applied:
1) The working of plastics is, as far as possible, classified primarily according to the
particular shaping technique used in this subclass;
2) Combined operations for making a particular article which are not fully classifiable in
this subclass must be classified in subclass B29D;
3) Products per se are not classified in this subclass. However, if a product is
characterised by the way it is produced and not by its structure or composition, the
production method should be classified in this subclass;
4) In this subclass:
a) repairing of articles made from plastics or substances in a plastic state, e.g. of
articles shaped or produced by using techniques covered by this subclass or
subclass B29D, is classified in group B29C 73/00;
b) component parts, details, accessories or auxiliary operations which are
applicable to more than one moulding technique are classified in groups B29C
31/00 – B29C 37/00;
c) component parts, details, accessories or auxiliary operations which are only
applicable or only of use for one specific shaping technique are classified only in
the relevant subgroups of groups B29C 39/00 – B29C 71/00.
5) In this subclass, it is desirable to add the indexing codes of subclass B29K and/or
B29L.
Title - B29C 33/56
Moulds or cores containing coatings, releasing, lubricating or
separating agents
Informative references
Attention is drawn to the following places, which may be of interest for search:
Coating compositions
C09D
Lubricating compositions
C10M
Title – B29C65/24
Joining of preformed parts or Apparatus by means of heating, with or
without pressure, using heated tool, characterised by the means for
heating the tool.
Special rules of classification within this subclass
1. Classification is made in this group only if the details or adaptations of the heating
means are of interest.
Title – B29C70/00
Shaping composites.
Special rules of classification within this subclass
1. In this group, the following terms or expressions are used with the meanings
indicated:
a) "reinforcement" means a structure in the form of fibres, wires, rods, bars,
sections, plates or blocks, which improves the strength of an article;
b) "filler" means a relatively inert substance in the form of particles, powder, beads,
flakes or spheres, which improves the physical properties or increases the bulk
or weight of an article;
c) "preformed part" means a part made of any material, being completely shaped
to have a determined form and which is not used as a reinforcement, e.g. wires
or nets forced only into the surface of an article;
d) "insert" means a preformed part incorporated in an article during moulding.
Title – B29C 70/28
Shaping composites comprising reinforcements - Shaping operations
therefor.
Special rules of classification within this subclass
1. This group covers:
a) the shaping of coherent fibrous reinforcements which are pre-impregnated or
without binder, or of non-coherent reinforcements of fibres placed in a mould or
on a support;
b) the impregnation or introduction of a plastics matrix in reinforcements during
shaping.
2. This group does not cover:
a) the moulding by a single technique of plastics matrix material mixed with and
containing reinforcing fibres of short length, which is covered by the appropriate
place for that technique;
b) the pretreatment, e.g. impregnation, of reinforcements per se, i.e. independently
of their shaping, which is covered by group B29B 15/08.
Title – B29C 70/58
Shaping composites comprising fillers.
Special rules of classification within this subclass
1. Moulding of plastics matrix material mixed with fillers by a single technique is
classified in the appropriate place for that technique.
Title – B29C 70/68
Shaping composites by incorporating or moulding on preformed parts.
Special rules of classification within this subclass
1. This group does not cover:
a) incorporating, or moulding on, preformed parts by a single technique, which is
covered by the appropriate place for that technique;
b) pretreatment of preformed parts per se, i.e. independently of their shaping,
which is covered by group B29B 15/00.