A23F - Definition 
Definition statement
This subclass covers:
Tea.
Tea substitutes, e.g. mate, lemon balm, rose hips.
Extracts or infusions of tea and tea substitutes.
Tea flavour, tea oil.
Methods of manufacturing, preparing and modifying tea and tea substitutes, e.g. oxidation, fermentation, removing caffeine, extraction, drying, concentrating, flavouring.
Coffee.
Coffee substitutes, e.g. grain coffee.
Extracts or infusions of coffee and coffee substitutes.
Coffee flavour, coffee oil.
Methods of manufacturing, preparing and modifying coffee and coffee substitutes, e.g. treating green coffee, roasting, grinding, removing caffeine, extraction, drying, concentrating, flavouring.
Relationship between large subject matter areas
This subclass does not cover chemical compounds, e.g. alkaloids such as caffeine, theophylline, theobromine, or their preparation as such, which subject matter is covered by classes C07 (organic chemistry) and C08 (organic macromolecular compounds).
Physical or chemical processes or apparatus in general, e.g. boiling, extraction or filtration, are covered by class B01.
References relevant to classification in this subclass
This subclass does not cover:
Picking of tea | A01D 46/04 |
Picking of coffee | A01D 46/06 |
Synthetic tea flavours | A23L 27/20 |
Synthetic coffee flavours | A23L 27/28 |
Machines for cleaning, blanching, drying or roasting fruits or vegetables, e.g. coffee | A23N 12/00 |
Coffee mills | A47J 42/00 |
Medicinal preparations containing plantmaterial from tea or tea substitutes or from coffee or coffee substitutes | A61K 36/00 |
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e.g.
e.g. | A61K 36/74, A61K 36/82, A61K 36/28 |
Informative references
Attention is drawn to the following places, which may be of interest for search:
Chocolate, confectionery or ice-cream containing coffee or tea | A23G |
Preservation of foods or foodstuffs, in general, e.g. freeze-drying or spray-drying | A23L |
Shaping or working of foodstuffs, not fully covered by a single other subclass, e.g. agglomerating, granulating or tabletting | A23P |
Coffee or tea pots | A47G 19/14 |
Tea infusers, e.g. egg-shaped infusers | A47G 19/16 |
Tea or coffee pot cosies | A47G 19/20 |
Apparatus for making beverages, e.g. coffee or tea | A47J 31/00 |
Packaging of substances, e.g. tea, which are intended to be infused in the package, i.e. filling tea bags | B65B 29/02 |
Attaching, or forming and attaching, string handles or tags to tea bags | B65B 29/04 |
Disposable containers or packages with contents which are infused or dissolved in situ | B65D 85/804 |
Disposable tea bags | B65D 85/808 |
Glossary of terms
In this subclass, the following terms or expressions are used with the meaning indicated:
| Alkaloid | The stimulant xanthine drugs caffeine, theobromine and theophylline contained in coffee beans and/or tea leaves. |
| Coffee | Stimulant product or beverage made from roasted seeds, commonly called coffee beans, which come from a plant of the genus Coffea, e.g. Coffea arabica or Coffea canephora. |
| Coffee substitutes | Coffee substitutes (solid or liquid) are non-coffeeproducts normally without caffeine, used to substitute coffee while preserving its taste. Grain coffee and other substitutes can be made by roasting or decocting various organic substances. Common ingredients include acorn, barley and malt, beech nut, chicory root, corn, fig and rye. |
| Decaffeination | Process of removing the alkaloid caffeine from coffee beans or tea leaves. |
| Herbal tea | Any Camellia sinensis-free product or beverage prepared by hot water infusion of plantmaterial, usually leaves but also including fruits, flowers and possibly even bark or other parts. Herbal teas are belonging to the group of tea substitutes. |
| Tea | Stimulant product or beverage made from the leaves of the traditional teaplant (Camellia sinensis). |
| Tea substitutes | Tea substitutes (solid or liquid) are non-teaproducts, i.e. not coming from the traditional teaplant (Camellia sinensis), e.g. mate (Ilex paraguariensis), lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), rose hips (Rosa canina), etc.; cf. herbal tea. |
Synonyms and Keywords
In patent documents the following terms "Lyophilisation" and "freeze-drying" are often used as synonyms. Also, these terms can be used as keywords.