Appeal No. 95-1401
Application 07/885,364
direction at right angles to the optical axis is prevented using
elongated sliding members 4 of suitable length which are in close
engagement with the sides of guide slots 2 extending in a
direction of the optical axis, the guide slots being provided in
at least two locations spaced at an angle other than 180E. In
the embodiment of figures 4-6, two pins 5 are aligned in a row
instead of using an elongated sliding member and two shorter
guide slots 2', 2" are aligned in the direction of the optical
axis instead of using a single slot. Ohnuki teaches that skew is
prevented by the engagement of sliding members or pins with
angularly spaced guide slots extending in a direction of the
optical axis, not by using arcuate cam grooves which are
circumferentially aligned and offset in the optical axis
direction. The two guide slots 2', 2" are separated by a
partition P for reinforcement (col. 3, lines 10-16) and,
manifestly, the two slots could be formed as a single long slot
as in figures 7, 10, and 11 if desired. While we can see the
superficial resemblance between the two slots 2', 2" in Ohnuki
and two cam grooves claimed, the slots extend in the direction of
the optical axis and the cam grooves do not and there is no
suggestion in Ohnuki to modify the slots to be cam grooves.
Ohnuki discloses a different solution to the problem of
preventing skew. It appears that the examiner's reason to modify
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