Appeal No. 1998-1825
Application No. 08/658,014
32, . . . coupled to the pay-off reel 13" (col. 4, lines 26-
28). Both the drive motor (16) of take-up reel (14) and the
dynamic brake (32) coupled to pay-off reel (13) may be
operated in response to signals supplied from a control
circuit 33 (col. 4, lines 26-30).
It is the examiner's position that Huck "substantially
describes the claimed invention except for a braking means,
separate from the drive motor, for reducing the speed of
rotation of the reel in dependence on a reduction on web
tension" (answer, pg. 4). The examiner applies Asar to teach
that the rotation of a supply reel (13) is controlled by a
brake (32). The examiner also points out that Asar
additionally teaches guide means (37, 38 and 41) and a spring
biased dancer arm (42) which adjusts in response to a change
in web tension, and concludes that "[i]t would have been
obvious to one of ordinary skill to have provided a supply
reel brake [of Asar] with the apparatus taught by Huck, since
Huck teaches controlling the rate of rotation of a supply reel
to compensate for tension variations, and Asar recognizes the
desirability of employing a reel brake to control supply reel
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