and in such order as to comply with
the conventions adopted in the official classification. It will probably
be necessary to have one subclass or group as broad as the definition of
the class, to take unclassifiable matter and to provide for possible
future inventions.

(8) Up to this point, more or less cursory attention may be given
individual patents; but when an arrangement of subclasses shall have
been tentatively adopted it will be necessary to consider each patent
carefully to ascertain whether it is properly placed.

(9) Patents that, considered as an entirety, cover means not peculiar to
the class or subject-matter being revised, should, in general, when
assembled in groups as indicated, have a note attached indicating not
only want of limitation to the subject-matter of the class but also a
more appropriate class to receive them if such there be. Although a very
large proportion of patents can be accurately classified as indicated by
their titles and stated uses, the mere fact that in a patent found in a
class the invention is called in the specification or claims by a name
peculiar to the class is not of itself a reason for considering it
peculiar to the class. A gas and liquid contact apparatus may be called
a heater, a cooler, a gas-washer, a water-carbonator, a condenser, a
disinfecter, an air-moistener, and so on, depending upon accident of
use. If there are not elements in some claim to confine the means
described distinctively to what it is called, or if there are no
functions necessarily implied in the means claimed peculiar to the named
use, the patent should not be kept in the class unless there is no other
class in the office that can receive it.

Example: Where the matter claimed is a metal beam of
peculiar cross-section, it should be classified with other
metal beams, as in Class 189, Metallic Building Structures,
even if it is named in the application as a beam of
particular use, as a railroad-tie, car-sill, bridge-tie,
etc. Should a mere dash-pot be found classified in Class
171, Electricity, Generation, a note should be attached
indicating that it belongs in the appropriate element
class.

(10) In giving this final careful attention to the patents, each should
also be scanned to see whether it contains matter that should be
cross-referenced. A few lines obscurely located in a specification may
contain a disclosure of a most valuable invention. No class can be
d