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The Classification of Patents

Note 1 — (C) RULES OF CLASSIFICATION.

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All terms have a meaning in extension and in intension. The meaning of a term in extension consists of the objects to which the term may be applied; its meaning in intension consists of the qualities necessarily possessed by objects bearing that name. The term "motors" in extension means all motors—electric, gas, water, spring, weight, etc. "Motors" in intension means instruments to convert some form or manifestation of energy into periodical or cyclical motion of a body. As the intension increases the extension decreases, and vice versa. There must be more motors than there are electric motors, and electric motors have more qualifications than are common to all motors. Comparison of arts and instruments with respect to their extension and intension for classification purposes should be made between comparable qualities. A claim for a steam-engine may be very specific while a claim for a reaper may be very broad; here there is no comparable relationship, and the terms intensive and extensive do not have the relative significance most useful in classification. But when a patent or application contains claims for mechanism peculiar to electric motors and other claims for mechanism common to electric motors and other kinds of motors, the claims for the electric motor would control the classification.

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