Appeal No. 96-0957
Application 08/138,359
DECISION ON APPEAL
Albert J. Jehle (the appellant) appeals from the final
rejection of claims 1, 6-11 and 23-27, the only claims remaining
in the application. We reverse.
The appellant’s invention pertains to a hypodermic
needle assembly. Independent claim 24 is further illustrative of
the appealed subject matter and reads as follows:
24. A hypodermic needle assembly comprising:
means providing a tube having a wall with a cylindrical
inner surface having a central axis, and having first and second
openings at opposite ends thereof; and
a piston having first and second opposite faces, with a
hollow needle extending from the first face, a fitting on the
second face for disconnectible, fluid-tight attachment to a
syringe, and means providing a passage within the piston for
fluid communication between the needle and the fitting, the
piston being located within the tube and frictionally engaging
the cylindrical inner surface of the wall of the tube but being
axially slidable therein when subjected to an external force, the
piston being engaged with the cylindrical inner surface at least
at two axially spaced locations whereby the needle is held
substantially parallel to the central axis of the cylindrical
inner surface of the wall of the tube as the piston slides along
the axis, the needle and piston being locatable entirely within
the tube, and axially movable to a position in which the needle
extends outward from the first opening of the tube while the
piston is inside the tube;
wherein the wall of the tube has portions which are
compressible inwardly against the piston by manual pressure
2
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