Appeal No. 96-1902
Application No. 08/156,679
By contrast, in the present invention,
measurement of the pressure within the ballonet is
used to control the flow of respiratory gas under
normal operating conditions. [Brief, pages 8 and
9.]
With respect to this argument, we must point out that
independent claim 11 broadly recites:
electronic control means controlled by said signals
for controlling a cyclic flow of respiratory gas
supplied to a patient.
As the appellants recognize, electronic control signals from
pressure receivers 10 (which provide voltage signals in
response to the pressure in balloon sleeve 3 via probe 6) and
45 (which provide voltage signals in response to the pressure
in the intratracheal space 2 via probe 5) are used to control
the flow of respiratory gas in the respirator 44 of Weerda.
The appellants have correctly noted that the control signals
from the pressure receiver 10 only function to "switch" the
operation of Weerda's respirator 44 in the case of
"disturbances." What the appellants overlook, however, is
that when the control signals from the pressure receiver 10
"switches" the operation of Weerda's respirator, it causes the
respirator to switch from one type of cyclic flow to another
type of cyclic flow. That is, it switches the respirator from
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