Appeal No. 1996-2624
Application No. 08/186,352
constant angular speed which corresponds to the feeding speed
of the reinforcing sheets and handles and at a second constant
angular speed corresponding to the surface speed of the web
[32] when the reinforcing sheets and handles are transferred
to the web, but that Bosse does so without using noncircular
gears as called for in claims 1 and 20. Appellants also
acknowledge that Katori discloses a planetary gear device
which comprises at least one pair of noncircular gears for
converting a constant velocity rotation to a reduced,
unconstant rotation. However, appellants argue (brief, pages
8 and 9) that one of ordinary skill in the
art would not have been motivated to replace the four-part
linkage and cam plate taught by Bosse with the planetary gear
system taught by Katori.
In our opinion, the examiner's position that it would
have been obvious to replace the planetary gear system taught
by Bosse with the noncircular gear system disclosed in Katori
because
noncircular gears in planetary gear devices for providing
unconstant velocity rotation and velocity reduction were known
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