Appeal No. 95-4269
Application 08/123,700
(column 4, lines 27 to 35) comprising a movable frame 4" with
parallel strips 4’ of structural (v-shaped) cross section with
air channels therebetween; means (frame 2) for mounting the frame
4" on the vehicle; and movable energy absorbing means (corrugated
sheets 5, 6) between the vehicle and the strips. The corrugated
sheets 5, 6 of Katsanis absorb the kinetic energy of a blast,
inasmuch as the patent discloses in column 3 that the
corrugations “make the shielding barrier an excellent shock
absorber” (lines 35 and 36) and “provide a large flexing surface
area over which the force of a blast may be spread” (lines 40 and
41).
Appellants argue in their reply brief (page 2) that movable
frame 4" cannot move because it is rigidly fixed inside frame 2,
and the movable connection “is only intended as a possibility for
an easy installation of the shielding in a vehicle.” We
disagree. With a blast coming from the right-hand side of
Katsanis’ Figure 1, for example, the disclosed “flexing” of
corrugated sheets 5 and 6 would permit strips (slats) 4' and the
movable frame 4" on which they are mounted to move toward the
left, with the sheets 5, 6 acting as “an excellent shock
absorber” to absorb part of the kinetic energy of the blast.
Moreover, as the examiner states on page 3 of the supplemental
-3-
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Next
Last modified: November 3, 2007