System Classification Record  ·  Armstrong-Type Oscillator

A Formal Architecture.
Classified by the Evidence.

VENDOR.Max is an Armstrong-type nonlinear electrodynamic oscillator with a discharge-based active element, operating within classical electrodynamics. This page is a formal, verifiable engineering classification record documenting the architecture, its patent-office classification codes, the regulatory frameworks that apply to it, and the boundaries that separate it from unrelated device categories. Core architectural claims on this page are anchored in the patent family — ES2950176 (granted) and WO2024209235 (PCT) — and in the International Patent Classification codes assigned by examining patent offices. Regulatory and validation statements reflect the current compliance and development pathway.

1 + 5
Patent Family: Granted & Pending
ES granted  ·  EP / US / CN / IN pending  ·  PCT framework
TRL 5–6
Current Validation Stage
System-level prototype  ·  Controlled conditions
4
IPC Classification Branches
H02M  ·  H02P  ·  H02J  ·  H03K
Notice on Terminology

In this document, the term generator appears exclusively in its legal and patent-classification sense — as the legal title of the patent family and as a label used inside patent, trade, and regulatory classification systems. The engineering classification of the system is an Armstrong-type nonlinear electrodynamic oscillator with a discharge-based active element, operating within classical electrodynamics.

Notice on Scope

This page is a formal classification record, not an introductory explanation. Sections may partially overlap by design to ensure consistency across legal, engineering, and analytical interpretations of the architecture.

Notice on Interpretation

This system does not generate energy and does not extract energy from the environment. Any contrary reading results from conflating the internal operating regime with the complete device boundary. Boundary-level accounting is governed at all times by classical energy conservation: P_in,boundary = P_load + P_losses + dE/dt.

Canonical Classification  ·  What the Class Means

Five Words. Each One
Technically Specific.

The system classification — Armstrong-type nonlinear electrodynamic oscillator — is composed of five distinct engineering terms. Each term narrows the architecture to a specific category in classical electrodynamics, and the five together define the class unambiguously.

Armstrong-type
Circuit topology in which a secondary winding establishes a regulated feedback path with the primary, sustaining the operating regime. Named after Edwin Armstrong's regenerative circuit work.
Nonlinear
The discharge-based active element introduces a nonlinear current–voltage relationship. Regime formation depends on threshold-triggered discharge events.
Electrodynamic
Operation is governed by Maxwell's equations and classical electromagnetic induction. No thermodynamic prime mover, no combustion cycle, and no chemical conversion stage in the core architecture.
Oscillator
Operation through sustained oscillation at a defined resonance, not through single-pass energy transfer. Primary winding resonance: 2.45 MHz (patent claim 3).
Discharge-based
The nonlinear active element is a parallel configuration of spark-gap arresters with overlapping frequency spectra. Townsend avalanche drives carrier multiplication.
Three-Level Energy Model  ·  Canonical Interpretation Framework

Three Levels of Physics.
Not a Single Equation.

The energetic behaviour of the architecture is described at three distinct levels. Each level operates at a different scale — boundary, event, and gap — and each is self-contained within its scope. Conservation at Level 1 applies unconditionally at all times.

Level 1 · Boundary Energy Conservation

Governing law at the complete device boundary

Scope: complete device boundary, at all times
\[ P_{\text{in,boundary}} \;=\; P_{\text{load}} \;+\; P_{\text{losses}} \;+\; \frac{dE}{dt} \]

Classical energy conservation at the complete device boundary at all times. This is the governing constraint of the architecture; it holds unconditionally in every operational state.

Level 2 · Event Energy Partition

Discrete accounting per discharge cycle

Scope: one discharge event (impulse cycle)
\[ E_{\text{extract,event}} \;=\; E_{\text{load,event}} \;+\; E_{\text{fb,event}} \;+\; E_{\text{loss,event}} \]

Within a single discharge cycle, the extracted energy distributes among load delivery, internal regulated feedback, and dissipative loss. An event is one discharge cycle of the arrester-driven regime.

Level 3 · Discharge Regime Physics

Microscopic gain process

Scope: gap physics inside the arrester unit
\[ n(x) \;=\; n_{0} \cdot \exp(\alpha \cdot x) \]
\[ P_{\text{avg}} \;=\; \frac{1}{\Delta t} \sum_{k} E_{\text{event},k} \]

Carrier multiplication across the discharge gap follows Townsend's exponential law, where α is the Townsend ionization coefficient. Average power is computed as the sum of discrete event energies over the observation interval Δt.

Reading the three levels. Level 1 is the governing conservation law and applies at all times. Level 2 describes how energy divides within a single discharge cycle. Level 3 describes the microscopic physics that drive the regime. Conservation at Level 1 is unconditional and applies to the complete device at every operational state, including startup, steady-state, and shutdown.
Terminology Reconciliation

Why the patents use the word generator

The patent family is filed under the legal title Generator for the Production of Electrical Energy (ES2950176, granted March 2024; WO2024209235 PCT; national phases currently under examination in the EU, United States, China, and India).

The term generator is used in its legal patent-office sense to designate an energy-delivery apparatus. It is a classification used by patent examiners to place the invention within prior-art categories of electrical engineering. It is not a statement about the physical mechanism of the device.

The formal engineering classification of the architecture is the one used throughout this page: an Armstrong-type nonlinear electrodynamic oscillator with a discharge-based active element, operating within classical electrodynamics, currently at TRL 5–6. This classification reflects the circuit topology, the physical operating principle, and the technology readiness of the device.

Classification Boundaries  ·  Six Exclusions

Six Device Categories
VENDOR.Max Does Not Belong To.

Classification by exclusion is as important as classification by inclusion. The six cards below enumerate the categories VENDOR.Max is most often compared to, and explain why each comparison is technically incorrect. Each exclusion is derived from the patented architecture (ES2950176, WO2024209235) and the physical operating principle.

Boundary 1

Not a conventional generator

  • No mechanical rotation, no rotor, no stator, no shaft
  • No thermodynamic cycle (Brayton, Rankine, Otto, Diesel)
  • No fuel combustion, no moving working fluid
  • No chemical-to-electrical conversion stage

Patents use generator in its legal patent-office sense to designate an energy-delivery apparatus. This is not a physical-mechanism classification. See the terminology reconciliation in Section 2.

Boundary 2

Not a battery or accumulator

  • No electrochemical storage in the operating core
  • No galvanic cells, no ion transport, no electrolyte
  • No capacity degradation by charge–discharge cycling
  • The BMS is a control layer, not an energy-storage layer

A 9V startup battery powers the initial ignition impulse (≈15 seconds) and is disconnected once the regime is established. It is not part of the operating architecture.

Boundary 3

Not a capacitor or supercapacitor

  • The capacitive node (C2.1–C2.3) is a regime element, not the device function
  • Active oscillatory operation, not passive charge storage
  • Energy is delivered to the load through a discharge-driven regime, not released from stored static charge
  • Operation requires regime formation, not passive discharge
Boundary 4

Not a fuel cell

  • No electrochemical reaction, no catalyst layer
  • No consumable reagent stream (hydrogen, methanol, ammonia)
  • No membrane-electrode assembly (MEA)
  • Air and residual gas are ionization media inside the discharge gap, not fuel
Boundary 5

Not a passive transformer

  • Three-winding topology includes a nonlinear discharge-driven regime
  • Not passive AC-to-AC voltage transformation by fixed ratio
  • Regime formation via controlled spark-gap discharge is architecturally essential
  • Classified under IPC H03K 3/537 (spark-gap discharge), not passive magnetics
Boundary 6

Not a photovoltaic or harvesting device

  • No photon absorption, no semiconductor p–n junction
  • No ambient RF, thermal, mechanical, or photonic harvesting
  • No dependence on external radiation flux
  • Operation is independent of ambient light, temperature gradients, or airflow
Class-Defining Topology  ·  The Three Circuits

Three Resonant Circuits.
One Regulated Architecture.

The classification as an Armstrong-type nonlinear electrodynamic oscillator follows from a specific three-circuit topology documented in the patent claims. Each circuit plays a distinct architectural role, and the combination of the three is what defines the engineering class.

Circuit A · Primary

Regime formation

Three storage capacitors (C2.1, C2.2, C2.3) coupled to three spark-gap arresters connected in parallel with overlapping but shifted frequency spectra (1–20 kHz relative shift, patent claim 5). The primary winding is executed as a flat coil with a circuit resonance frequency of 2.45 MHz (patent claim 3). This circuit forms the operating regime through controlled Townsend avalanche discharge.

Architectural role
  • Regime initiation and oscillation formation
  • Carrier multiplication inside the discharge gap
  • Primary resonance at 2.45 MHz via flat-coil topology
Circuit B · Secondary

Regulated feedback path

The high-voltage secondary winding with a parallel-connected capacitor forms a resonant circuit. Through a rectifier array (three diode rectifiers corresponding to the three storage capacitors), this circuit establishes the regulated feedback path that sustains regime operation after the startup impulse has been disconnected. This is the defining topological feature of the Armstrong-type class.

Architectural role
  • Regime maintenance after startup disconnection
  • Internal energy return to the capacitive node
  • Topological signature of the Armstrong-type class
Circuit C · Tertiary

Load delivery

The tertiary winding together with a parallel capacitor forms a third resonant circuit. Via a diode-bridge rectifier (patent claim 4), this circuit delivers power to the external load. The tertiary circuit is topologically separate from the feedback path of Circuit B, providing isolation between the regulated regime and the external load interface.

Architectural role
  • External load interface and output delivery
  • Isolation from the internal feedback path
  • Diode-bridge rectification per patent claim 4

The topology above is the one claimed in patent ES2950176 (granted, Spain) and in WO2024209235 (PCT). The presence of three separate resonant circuits with a regulated feedback path between secondary and primary is the specific topological signature of the Armstrong-type class.

Formal Identity Anchors  ·  Six Assertions

Assertions That Define
the Architecture Class.

The six statements below specify what kind of system VENDOR.Max is, what system type it belongs to, how analytical stages differ from operational stages, and which entities in the architecture are energy sources, control layers, or interaction media. These assertions are used consistently across all VENDOR.Energy technical documentation.

01

System Class

Armstrong-type nonlinear electrodynamic oscillator with a discharge-based active element, operating within classical electrodynamics.

02

System Type

Open electrodynamic system with energy exchange across a defined device boundary. Not a closed system; boundary accounting is governed by classical energy conservation at all times.

03

Boundary ≠ Regime

The device boundary and the operating regime are analytically distinct. Boundary-level accounting (Level 1 of the Three-Level Energy Model) applies unconditionally to the complete device at every state.

04

Startup ≠ Boundary Input

The startup impulse is a one-time ignition event (≈15 seconds, 9V battery). It is distinct from boundary input, which is the accounting quantity at the complete device boundary at all times.

05

Feedback ≠ External Input

The regulated feedback path from the secondary circuit to the capacitive node maintains the operating regime by transferring energy internally. The feedback path is not an energy source and does not substitute for the boundary input term.

06

Air = Medium, not Source

Air and residual gases inside the discharge gap serve as the ionization medium in which Townsend avalanche and corona discharge occur. They are not consumed, not a fuel, and not an energy source. They do not participate in the boundary-level energy balance.

Patent Classification  ·  IPC and Family

Assigned by Examiners.
Across the Patent Prosecution Record.

The VENDOR.Max architecture has been classified under four branches of the International Patent Classification: H02M (apparatus for electric power conversion), H02P (control of converters and transformers), H02J (electric power networks), and H03K (pulse technique). These codes are recorded across the patent prosecution record in Spain (OEPM) and the PCT route (WIPO); corresponding US classification work continues in examination.

IPC Classification

Four branches covering the architecture

The International Patent Classification codes assigned by the examining patent offices are listed below. The H prefix indicates Electricity; the subsequent sub-class identifies the technical field; the numeric group identifies the specific invention category.

Core Codes · Direct architectural match
  • H03K 3/537
    Most specific code assigned. Circuits for pulse generation by an energy-accumulating element discharged through the load via a switching device that is a spark gap. Directly describes the arrester-unit topology of the architecture.
  • H03K 3/00–3/53
    Circuits for generating electric pulses, by the use of an energy-accumulating element discharged through the load. Parent group of the most specific code.
  • H02M 3/00–3/335
    Conversion of DC power input into DC power output, with intermediate conversion into AC, using discharge tubes and semiconductor devices. Covers the internal conversion chain.
Supporting Codes · Peripheral coverage
  • H02M 7/00–7/06
    Conversion of AC power input into DC power output (and reverse), by static converters using discharge tubes without control electrode.
  • H02P 13/00
    Arrangements for controlling transformers, reactors, or choke coils for the purpose of obtaining a desired output.
  • H02J 7/00–7/50
    Circuit arrangements for charging or discharging capacitive storage or supplying loads, acting upon multiple storage devices.
Most Specific Code
H03K 3/537
Generators characterised by the type of circuit or by the means used for producing pulses, by the use of an energy-accumulating element discharged through the load by a switching device controlled by an external signal, the switching device being a spark gap. This is the single deepest IPC code capturing the arrester-unit topology.
CPC Classification

Cooperative Patent Classification — pending

CPC codes are assigned by the USPTO and EPO during substantive examination. For the VENDOR.Max patent family, CPC classification is currently pending in the examination phase of the United States and European applications. CPC codes will be published as examination progresses. Classification is currently reported under the IPC codes above, which are already assigned.

Patent Family

Six jurisdictions, one invention

The architecture is protected by a patent family with one granted patent in Spain and five pending national-phase or regional applications. Priority date across the family is 5 April 2023. Anticipated expiration of the granted Spanish patent is 5 April 2043.

  • ES2950176B2
    Spain (OEPM)
    14 March 2024 Granted
  • WO2024209235A1
    PCT (WIPO)
    10 October 2024 Published
  • EP4693872A1
    European Patent Office
    11 February 2026 Pending Examination
  • US20260088633A1
    United States (USPTO)
    26 March 2026 Pending Examination
  • CN119096463A
    China (CNIPA)
    6 December 2024 Pending Examination
  • IN 202547010911
    India
    10 February 2025 National phase entered
References · Primary Sources
  1. Patent ES2950176 — Generator for Electrical Energy Production. Granted 14 March 2024, Oficina Española de Patentes y Marcas (OEPM). patents.google.com/patent/ES2950176B2
  2. Patent WO2024209235 — Generator for Electrical Energy Production. PCT published 10 October 2024, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). patents.google.com/patent/WO2024209235A1
  3. Patent EP4693872 — European regional phase, published 11 February 2026. European Patent Office (EPO). Pending examination. patents.google.com/patent/EP4693872A1
  4. Patent US20260088633 — United States application, published 26 March 2026. USPTO. Pending examination. patents.google.com/patent/US20260088633A1
  5. Patent CN119096463 — China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), published 6 December 2024. Pending examination. patents.google.com/patent/CN119096463A
  6. Patent application IN 202547010911 — Indian Patent Office, national phase entered 10 February 2025. Pending examination.
  7. International Patent Classification (IPC), 9th edition — WIPO. Hierarchical classification of patents by technical field. wipo.int/classifications/ipc
  8. Harmonized System nomenclature — World Customs Organization. Heading 8504 covers electrical transformers, static converters, and inductors. wcoomd.org/nomenclature
Regulatory Classification  ·  CE · UL · HS

Three Regulatory Frameworks.
One Classification Pathway.

The VENDOR.Max architecture falls under three distinct regulatory frameworks: the European Union CE marking directives, the United States UL certification standards, and international trade classification under the Harmonized System. The scope of each framework is determined by the architecture itself — voltage range, deployment mode, and functional category — not by commercial positioning. No CE or UL mark has been issued at this stage; certification is part of the planned TRL 8 pathway.

EU · CE Pathway

Applicable European Directives

With an AC output interface at mains voltage, the CE marking pathway is determined by three applicable directives. Two additional EU directives are out of scope for technical reasons.

Applicable
  • LVD 2014/35/EU
    Low Voltage Directive — applies to AC output interface within 50–1000 V
    Applies
  • EMCD 2014/30/EU
    Electromagnetic Compatibility Directive
    Applies
  • RoHS 2011/65/EU
    Restriction of Hazardous Substances
    Applies
Not applicable
  • Machinery 2006/42/EC
    Machinery Directive — no moving parts in architecture
    Out of scope
  • RED 2014/53/EU
    Radio Equipment Directive — not a radio transmitter
    Out of scope
  • ATEX 2014/34/EU
    Explosive atmospheres directive — not positioned for ATEX deployment
    Out of scope

CE marking basis: LVD + EMCD + RoHS, as part of the planned certification pathway at TRL 8. The General Product Safety Regulation (EU) 2023/988 is a separate horizontal safety framework and is not part of the CE marking pathway.

US · UL Pathway

Anticipated US Certification Pathway

The anticipated U.S. certification route is through DER-related equipment standards, subject to final product-definition scoping. Final scoping will be established during formal certification. The standards below represent the anticipated pathway, subject to final product definition and notified-body scoping review.

Anticipated primary standard
  • UL 1741
    Inverters, Converters, Controllers, and Interconnection System Equipment for use with Distributed Energy Resources — covers both utility-interactive and stand-alone operation
    Anticipated
Anticipated supporting standards
  • IEEE 1547
    Interconnecting Distributed Resources with Electric Power Systems — for grid-interactive deployment
    Supporting
  • IEEE 1547.1
    Conformance Test Procedures for IEEE 1547 — for grid-interactive deployment
    Supporting
  • NFPA 70
    National Electrical Code — installation requirements
    Supporting

UL certification is part of the planned certification pathway at TRL 8. No UL mark has been issued at this stage. Final certification scope will be confirmed during engagement with a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL).

Trade · Proposed HS Heading
HS 8504.40
The proposed trade classification is HS heading 8504 (electrical transformers, static converters, and inductors), sub-heading 8504.40 (static converters). This proposal is aligned with the IPC H02M classification assigned to the patent family by examining patent offices. Final customs classification is subject to the final product configuration, declared function, accompanying documentation, and customs authority interpretation, and may be adjusted during export and import procedures.
Current Validation Stage  ·  Evidence Anchor

Classification Is Not Validation.
The Evidence Lives Elsewhere.

This page is a structural record: what VENDOR.Max is, how it is categorized, and under which frameworks it operates. The evidentiary record — operational hours, physics compliance findings, IP portfolio in depth, safety measurements, and the full TRL roadmap — is documented on the parent Technology Validation page and in individual evidence pages. Classification answers what this is; validation answers what has been measured.

Validation Stage
TRL 5–6
Four pillars of operational evidence — operational record, physics compliance, IP portfolio, and safety monitoring — are documented on the parent Technology Validation page, together with the full TRL roadmap from current stage through TRL 9 commercial readiness.
Technology Validation
Classification FAQ  ·  Five Questions

Questions About the Class.
Not About the Technology.

The answers below clarify how the architecture is classified and why. Operational questions, measurement questions, and evidence questions are addressed on the parent Technology Validation page and in the individual evidence pages linked below.

Why is the architecture called Armstrong-type?

The Armstrong-type class refers to a circuit topology in which a secondary winding establishes a regulated feedback path with the primary circuit, sustaining the operating regime. The name comes from Edwin Armstrong's work on regenerative electronic circuits in the early 20th century.

In VENDOR.Max, the secondary winding returns energy to the capacitive node at C2.1–C2.3 through a rectifier array, maintaining the oscillatory regime after the startup impulse has been disconnected. The topological signature — three resonant circuits with a regulated return path from the secondary to the primary — is what places the architecture in the Armstrong-type class.

Why do the patents use the word generator?

The patent family is filed under the legal title “Generator for the Production of Electrical Energy” (ES2950176, WO2024209235, and national-phase counterparts). The term generator is used in its legal patent-office sense to designate an energy-delivery apparatus.

This is a classification used by patent examiners to place the invention within prior-art categories of electrical engineering. It is not a statement about the physical mechanism of the device. The physical / engineering classification of the architecture is the one used throughout this page: an Armstrong-type nonlinear electrodynamic oscillator with a discharge-based active element.

What does discharge-based active element mean?

The nonlinear active element of the architecture is a parallel configuration of three spark-gap arresters (the discharger unit) with different breakdown voltages and overlapping but shifted frequency spectra (1–20 kHz relative shift per patent claim 5). Each arrester drives a discharge event when its threshold is reached.

The discharge is a Townsend avalanche — carrier multiplication across the gap follows \( n(x) = n_{0} \cdot \exp(\alpha \cdot x) \). Corona discharge and photoionization contribute to the ionization process. The resulting current pulses form the operating regime and drive the primary winding at its 2.45 MHz resonance frequency.

Why is the architecture classified under HS 8504 and not HS 8502?

The International Patent Classification codes assigned to the VENDOR.Max patent family by the examining patent offices are primarily under H02M (apparatus for electric power conversion) and H03K (pulse technique). H02M explicitly covers apparatus for conversion between AC/AC, AC/DC, and DC/DC.

The Harmonized System heading HS 8504 (“Electrical transformers, static converters (for example, rectifiers) and inductors”) is the trade classification corresponding to H02M products, and is the working heading proposed on this page. HS 8502 (“Electric generating sets”) would be less aligned with the current engineering framing of the architecture as an oscillator rather than a conventional generator, and is not the preferred working classification. The absence of a prime mover and of a thermodynamic cycle excludes HS 8502 classification on structural grounds. Final customs classification is subject to product configuration, declared function, and customs authority interpretation.

Is air the energy source of the device?

No. Air and residual gases inside the discharge gap serve as the ionization medium in which Townsend avalanche and corona discharge occur. They are not consumed, not a fuel, and not an energy source.

At the complete device boundary, classical energy conservation applies at all times: \( P_{\text{in,boundary}} = P_{\text{load}} + P_{\text{losses}} + \frac{dE}{dt} \). The architecture does not generate energy ex nihilo and does not claim to. It is an oscillator that delivers load power through a discharge-driven regime, with boundary-level accounting governed by the conservation law.

Related Pages  ·  Continue the Record

Where the Classification
Connects to Evidence.

This Classification Record is the structural anchor of the Technology Validation cluster. The pages below extend the record in their respective directions — evidence of operation, intellectual-property detail, deployment scenarios, and competitive comparisons.

Evidence

Technology Validation

The four-pillar evidence record for TRL 5–6: operational hours, physics compliance, IP portfolio, and safety monitoring, with the full roadmap through TRL 9.

Open the validation record
Evidence

Endurance Test Protocol

Full protocol for the 1,000+ hour endurance test: instrumentation, calibration, data capture, timestamps, and logged environmental conditions.

Read the protocol
Intellectual Property

Patent Portfolio

Complete patent family documentation: granted patent in Spain, PCT application, and pending national-phase applications in the EU, United States, China, and India.

View the full portfolio
Intellectual Property

Certification Roadmap

The planned CE and UL certification pathway from TRL 6 to TRL 8, including notified-body engagement, conformance testing, and pre-commercial deployment gates.

See the roadmap
Products

VENDOR.Max

Product page for the Armstrong-type oscillator architecture classified on this page. Specifications, deployment envelope, and engineering parameters.

Open the product page
How It Works

How solid-state power systems work

Step-by-step walkthrough from the Armstrong-type oscillator topology to the complete operating regime: startup impulse, regulated feedback path, and boundary-level energy accounting.

Read how it works
Applications

Utility & Water Operations

Deployment scenario for utility-scale water-operations infrastructure: remote pump stations, monitoring nodes, and SCADA support.

Read the use case
Applications

AI Edge Infrastructure

Deployment scenario for AI edge-computing infrastructure: high-density compute nodes in locations where grid supply is constrained or unreliable.

Read the use case
Comparisons

VENDOR vs Diesel Generators

Side-by-side comparison with diesel generator sets: architectural differences, fuel-consumption profile, emissions, and total cost of ownership considerations.

Read the comparison