USPC 91

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This USPC patent technology category USPC 91 is for Expansible-chamber type motors.[1]

These motors convert energy in a pressure fluid into mechanical work in which a charge of simple pressure fluid is admitted to an expansible chamber, the expansion of said chamber converting into work only the original energy of the charge, the charge after expansion of said chamber being exhausted to some place other than whence it came, and in which no energy is extracted from the charge except by expansion of the chamber, said motors when of the reciprocating or oscillating type including control of the fluid.[1]

Historical note from US PTO: "Patents issued prior to 1936 have not necessarily been classified by claims so that the placement of these patents does not necessarily indicate lines of classification. However, most of the patents regardless of their age have been placed in accordance with their claimed subject matter."[1]

There is a complex online definition of the distinctions and relations between USPC 91 and USPC 92, the details of which do not seem to matter for historical aero research; primitively speaking it seems that USPC 92 is a subclass of USPC 91. There have probably been huge volumes of patents in these areas so fine distinctions are reified.

Key definitions used in the class tree:

  • A cylinder is rigid external member surrounding a piston. A piston is a relatively moving wall for the expansible chamber, the other walls of which are formed by the cylinder, and the cylinder ordinarily including the abutment or reaction surface against which the motive fluid acts or the piston forming the abutment for the cylinder when the cylinder is movable and the piston fixed. The abutment or reaction surface for the piston need not be formed by the cylinder, but may be formed by a second piston within the cylinder.
  • A distributor is or has a part which can move relative to the working member of a cyclically operable motor to control a motive fluid port or passage so as to cyclically control inlet and/or exhaust flow of motive fluid to or from the motor. The distributor may cut off the motive fluid flow, or may cyclically control the amount of flow (i.e., throttling).
  • A motive fluid is added to or withdrawn from a working chamber of the motor to cause the working member to move. Fluid drawn from the same supply to operate motor valves or perform another motor function is considered to be motive fluid even if it never enters a working chamber. Atmospheric air which acts upon the working member of a vacuum motor is not considered to be motive fluid unless the atmospheric air is controlled, e.g. by valves. In a vacuum motor the fluid which is evacuated from the working chamber is considered to be exhaust motive fluid and the atmospheric air, if controlled, is considered to be inlet motive fluid. A motive fluid may be expansible or inexpansible.
  • A working chamber is a space into which motive fluid is added to or withdrawn (vacuum) to cause the working member to move to perform work, the chamber expanding or contracting incident to the movement of the working member. A chamber of a vacuum motor to which atmospheric air has free ingress and egress without any control thereof is not a working chamber. However, a chamber of a vacuum motor in which atmospheric air acts and some control is exercised over the atmospheric air is a working chamber. A chamber of the motor which expands or contracts incidentally because of movements of the working member, not to do work by fluid going in or out, is called a "non-working chamber."
  • The working member is a movable wall of the expansible chamber to which motive fluid is applied or to which atmospheric air is applied in the case of vacuum motor, said wall moving as a result of the application of the motive fluid and in so moving doing work for utilization by means other than the motor or some part thereof. In a reciprocating motor this term is generic to both a moving piston and a moving cylinder. The working member is considered to include the movable wall to which motive fluid is applied as well as all parts which are rigid therewith, e.g., a piston rod. However, a pair of separate movable walls disposed in separate working chambers (i.e., chambers which are not in fluid communication during at least some part of the operation of the motor), even though rigidly connected together, are considered to be plural working members if the application of motive fluid to them urges both walls in the same direction. A working member has a single working surface which may have two or more relatively movable faces so long as adjacent faces are always extensions of each other, e.g., a flexible diaphragm or bellows.

Partial class tree under USPC 91:[2]

    • USPC 91/1 Motors with signals, indicators, or means of inspection: Apparatus giving visual or auditory information, either (1) signals, indicators, registers, recorders, or gauges for indicating a condition or the position of a motor part (e.g. piston, valve, or control member), or (2) transparent viewing arrangements enabling a motor's condition or operation to be observed.
    • USPC 91/2 Cutoff or control after predetermined number of cycles or revolutions
    • USPC 91/3 Jet control type motors
    • USPC 91/4 Hydro-pneumatic motors
    • USPC 91/5 WORKING MEMBER MOVED BY STORED MOTIVE FLUID CHARGE:
    • USPC 91/6 FLUID SUPPLY THROUGH DIVERSE PATHS TO SINGLE EXPANSIBLE CHAMBER:
    • USPC 91/34 SINGLE ACTING, CHANGEABLE TO OR FROM DOUBLE ACTING:
    • USPC 91/35 INDEPENDENTLY OPERATED TIMER, DELAY, PATTERN OR CYCLIC CONTROL:
    • USPC 91/41 WITH CORRELATED CONTROL OF MOTIVE FLUID AND LOCKING MEANS:
    • USPC 91/46 WITH INTERRELATED CONTROL OF MOTIVE FLUID AND LUBRICANT:
    • USPC 91/47 CONSTANTLY APPLIED MOTIVE FLUID WITH CONTROLLED VENTING:
    • USPC 91/52 CONSTANTLY OPEN THROTTLED EXHAUST WITH CONTROLLED MOTIVE FLUID SUPPLY:
    • USPC 91/53 ENGINE ROTATING OR STARTING TYPE:
    • USPC 91/54 CONVERTIBLE; OR CHANGEABLE BY DISASSEMBLY OR ASSEMBLY:
    • USPC 91/55 COMBINED:
    • USPC 91/59 TORQUE RESPONSIVE MOTIVE FLUID CONTROL:
    • USPC 91/61 ROTARY AND RECIPROCATING WORKING MEMBERS:
    • USPC 91/151 SERIALLY FORMED EXPANDING WORKING CHAMBERS (E.G., ENDLESS, ETC.):
    • USPC 91/152 MULTIPLE EXPANSION:
    • USPC 91/165 APPLICATION OF MOTIVE FLUID AT DIFFERENT PRESSURES TO OPPOSED WORKING MEMBER FACES:
    • USPC 91/167 EXTENSION OF UNIT HAVING SEPARATELY CONTROLLED WORKING CHAMBERS EQUALS SUM OF INDIVIDUAL CHAMBER EXTENSIONS:
    • USPC 91/169 SINGLE CHAMBER FORMED BY MUTUALLY RELATIVELY MOVABLE CYLINDER, SLEEVE AND PISTON:
    • USPC 91/170 RELATIVELY MOVABLE WORKING MEMBERS WITH ONE HAVING MOTIVE FLUID CONTROLLED BY, MOVABLY INTERCONNECTED WITH OR MOVED BY ANOTHER:
    • USPC 91/176 Moving cylinders within subclass 170. Apparatus having either (1) movably mounted cylinders which form relatively movable working members or (2) relatively movable working members which are disposed in movably mounted cylinders.
    • USPC 91/196 MOVING CYLINDER (contrasting somehow to 91/176)
    • USPC 91/218 CYCLICALLY OPERABLE: Apparatus in which the motor has a cycle of operation in which the working member moves in one direction, reverses its direction of movement and returns to the original position, so as to be in condition to repeat the operation, and in which a distributor or other means, operated as a consequence of motor working member movement or cyclic change of pressure in a working chamber, is provided to control the flow of motive fluid so as to cause the motor, when started, to continuously repeat the cycle of operation. (1) A motor, in which the described operation is cyclic, will be classified in 91/218 if (1) cyclic operation necessarily results from the structural relationship of the claimed motor elements, e.g., valveless motor, etc., (2) an element of the fluid or mechanical connection between the working member and a cyclically operated distributing means is claimed, or (3) features considered peculiar to cyclically operable motors, are claimed, specifically in notes below. (2) In a cyclically operable motor, the term distributor is defined as a means which comprises or includes a part which is movable relative to the working member of the cyclically operable motor to control a motive fluid port or passage in such a manner as to cyclically control inlet and/or exhaust flow of motive fluid to or from the motor. The distributor need not entirely cut off the motive fluid flow, but may cyclically control the amount of flow, i.e., throttling.
    • USPC 91/355 CUTOFF AFTER SINGLE COMPLETE CYCLE:
    • USPC 91/357 SELECTIVELY USABLE OR POSITIONABLE WORKING MEMBER CONTROLLED VENT IN CHAMBER WALL (402):
    • USPC 91/358 WORKING MEMBER POSITION FEEDBACK TO MOTIVE FLUID CONTROL: This subclass is indented under the class definition. Apparatus comprising valve means for controlling the flow of motive fluid, signal input means operated manually or by some separate control instrumentality for operating said valve means to cause operation of the motor, the motor providing a feedback signal in response to the position of the working member thereof, said feedback signal acting to control or modify the operation of said valve means.
      • USPC 91/368 Follower type: under subclass 358. Apparatus in which the valve means comprises relatively movable parts whose range of movement to cause actuation of the working member is limited to a fractional portion of the total input signal which may be applied and to the total range of movement of the working member and in which the signal input means and the working member are so related to the valve means that working member movement will result only when the input signal means moves and will continue only as long as the signal input means continues to move; movement of the working member ceasing when movement of the input signal means ceases.
        • USPC 91/384 Floating link: under subclass 368. Apparatus including a control link having three axially spaced connecting points, one of said connecting points being connected to the valve means, the second to the input signal means and the third to the working member so that movement of said input signal means will move said valve means through said link and movement of the working member will reposition the valve through said link.
    • USPC 91/390: POSITION MAINTAINING TYPE: Apparatus comprising means responsive to the movement or the tendency to move of the working member to control the motive fluid so as to restore the working member to its original position or to provide a force counteracting the force tending to move the working member.
    • USPC 91/391: WITH ALTERNATIVE MANUAL ACTUATION OF LOAD: Apparatus having means for moving the load normally driven by the working member by a human operator in the absence of operation of the motor.
    • USPC 91/392: WORKING MEMBER POSITION RESPONSIVE MOTIVE FLUID CONTROL:
    • USPC 91/415 DIFFERENTIAL: Under USPC 91. Apparatus in which the motor is provided with opposed working member faces, motive fluid being applied to or evacuated from one of said faces to cause the working member to move in one direction and being applied simultaneously to or evacuated simultaneously from both of said faces to cause the working member to move in the opposite direction or to slow the movement in said one direction. (1) Note. The opposed working member faces are usually of different areas. However, they may be of the same area with or without an additional impelling force such as a spring applied in one direction. (2) Note. Opposed working member faces are defined as faces which when motive fluid is applied thereto tend to move the working member or load in opposite directions.
    • USPC 91/418 WITH MOTIVE FLUID VALVE: Under USPC 91. Apparatus including valve means to control the flow of motive fluid to or from the motor or while in the motor so as to provide a control of the motor. Notes: (1) The valve means may be, for example, a distributing valve, throttle valve, pressure relief or check valve or a pressure reducing valve. A mere fixed orifice which provides a throttling action is not considered to be a valve, but a controllable throttle is considered to be a valve even though it may not be capable of being completely cut off. (2) Patents making claims about the motor-operated valve-actuating mechanisms in a cyclically operable motor are classified in USPC 91/218-USPC 91/354. (3) The following definitions apply to subclasses 418-470. (a) Inlet and Exhaust Valve - A valve for connecting three lines; a pressure line, a motor line and an exhaust line; the valve being settable in any of three positions, namely, with the pressure line connected to the motor line, with the motor line connected to the exhaust line and with the motor line cut off. The valve may comprise a single unitary member or relatively movable separate valving elements. (b) Stop Valve - A valve in any line which is capable of being closed to stop the flow in both directions in that line. A stop valve may also be a throttling valve so long as it is capable of being completely closed. (c) Check Valve - A direction responsive valve which when placed in line is designed to prevent any flow in one direction and allow substantially free, unimpeded flow in the opposite direction.
      • USPC 91/462 For double-acting motor: under subclass 418. Apparatus in which the motor has a working member positioned to move in opposite directions in opposed working chambers by alternate supply of motive fluid to one side of the piston and the alternate exhaust from the other.
        • USPC 91/465 Relatively movable unitary inlet and exhaust valves for opposed working chambers: under subclass 462. Apparatus in which the valve means comprises two unitary inlet and exhaust valves, each controlling the flow of motive fluid to and from its respective opposed working chamber, the control of motive fluid for each working chamber being effected by the relative movement of the unitary movable elements of the valves.
    • USPC 91/472 THREE OR MORE CYLINDERS ARRANGED IN PARALLEL RADIAL OR CONICAL RELATIONSHIP WITH ROTARY TRANSMISSION AXIS
    • USPC 91/508 Multiple relatively movable or rigidly interconnected working members

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Class Definition for Class 91, Expansible chamber devices, section 131 on Biasing means maintains working member intermediate stroke end limits at uspto.gov
  2. ↑ Class Schedule for Class 91 at uspto.gov
Patents in categories USPC 91, USPC 91/176, USPC 91/384, or USPC 91/465


Enclosing categories USPC
Subcategories USPC 91/176, USPC 91/384, USPC 91/465
Keywords Engine, Motor, USPC 92, USPC 92/131
Start year
End year
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