Appeal No. 97-0996
Application 08/287,432
Claims 1-9 stand further rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as
being unpatentable over AAPA in view of Ingersoll.
Independent claim 1 calls for the step of deforming the
sheet metal into the shape of a ring element having a uniform
thickness. Independent claim 5 contains similar language.
Ingersoll pertains to a method of manufacturing conical
disks suitable for heavy load purposes such as in the
construction of wheels for tractors and other vehicles. In order
to combine maximum strength with economy of material, the disk
“is desirably tapered in thickness from center to periphery”
(column 1, lines 7-9). Several methods of manufacturing the disk
are disclosed. In each instance, the thickness of the side wall
of the disk is tapered so as to gradually decrease in thickness
toward the smaller end of the conical shape of the finished
product. See, for example, column 2, lines 33-46; column 2, line
55 through column 3, line 5; and column 3, lines 2-4. Also see
Figures 2, 4, 6, 8, 12 and 13, wherein the tapering of the side
wall of the conical disk is clearly seen.
AAPA, pages 1-2 of appellant’s specification, states that in
hitherto known methods of making the ring element of the support,
an annular disc was punched out of a piece of flat sheet metal,
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