MPEP § 902.02 — Class and Subclass Definitions in USPC

Ninth Edition, Revision 01.2024 · last revised R-01.2024

All of the classes within USPC have definitions.

Definitions state the subject matter of the classes and subclasses in much more detail than it is possible to state in the brief class and subclass titles. A study of the definitions is essential to determine the proper classification of subject matter within the U.S. Patent Classification System (USPC).

All classes and subclasses (class definitions) in the USPC are available online to USPTO personnel from the Classification Home Page under the heading Search Classification Data. The Classification Home Page (https://ptoweb.uspto.gov/patents/ classification-resources/) is accessible from the desktop via the Patent Examiner’s Toolkit.

It should be noted that classification orders frequently affect existing definitions. Personal sets of definitions used by examiners should be periodically revised to reflect these changes. Classification Orders are available online to USPTO personnel from the Classification Home Page under the heading Orders. The Classification Home Page is accessible from the desktop via the Patent Examiner’s Toolkit.