Appeal No. 2001-2495
Application No. 09/110,876
There is apparently no dispute that EP ‘230 discloses a
pneumatic tire having block-shaped land portions having
incisions, or sipings, within the land portions, with the
incisions having the claimed first and second linear portions and
sloping land portion which connects the first and second linear
portions. It is appellant’s contention that the incisions of
Figure 5 of EP ‘230 are different in configuration from the
claimed arrangement inasmuch as appellant finds the sipes as
having three components. We agree with the examiner, however,
that although the sipes of EP ‘230 comprise two branches which
stem off the initial incision, the appealed claims do not
preclude the branching configuration depicted by EP ‘230. For
instance, claim 1 only requires that the sipings have first and
second linear portions which extend in a direction perpendicular
to the surface of the land portion and a sloping land portion
which connects the first and second linear portions. Manifestly,
the incisions of EP ‘230 meet these claim requirements and
appellant does not argue otherwise.
Appellant also contends that “the effect of suppressing
deformation cannot be reasonably achieved throughout the life of
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