Appeal No. 97-3703 Page 8
Application No. 08/110,349
downwardly during the cutting operation to prevent the
material from being crushed (column 3, lines 68 to 72). As
Walker permits the severed material to simply drop into a
container below the cutting area and does not disclose any
further processing or work station, aligned with the outlet of
the conversion machine, to which the severed material is
transferred, there is no need for a transfer/alignment device
or anti-crushing mechanism such as the shear pan (25) of Scott
on the Walker device. Accordingly, the teachings of Walker
and Scott would not have suggested to one of ordinary skill in
the art provision of such a device on the Walker apparatus.
As for Osmera, even if its teachings were combined with
Walker to provide a holding or support device to clamp the web
of packing material emitted from the Walker conversion machine
against the movable knife (20) during the cutting, such a
combination would not suggest "an automatic alignment device
which automatically aligns the cut section with the outlet
opening when said second blade is moved from said cutting
position to said rest position" as required by claim 1.
Specifically, Osmera teaches providing an air chamber for
reducing the speed of the upward return movement of the
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