Appeal No. 2001-2639 Page 5
Application No. 09/386,753
[t]he support means may be in the form of an
elastomeric annular ring, a plurality of
circumferentially spaced apart pins, elastic
fingers, ramps, or the like, any one of which is
characterized in centering a ball on the centerline
of the bore and holding the ball in place [page 2].
Thus, we conclude that the “support means ...” recited in
claims 1 and 7 requires structure in the bore of the barrel
which radially supports and centers the ball on the centerline
(central longitudinal axis) of the bore and holds the ball in
place.
Rejection (1)
In relying on Lake to reject claim 1 under 35 U.S.C. §
103, the examiner identifies the cup v and stud w (Figure 2)
as the structure which responds to the “support means” of
claim 1. Like appellants, we recognize that the cup and stud
are incapable of supporting and centering the ball without the
strap r. From our perspective, the structure (the cup, stud
and strap of Figures 1-4 or the strap in Figure 5) which
performs the supporting function cannot reasonably be
considered to be between the compressed air source P and
associated tubing and the breech closure S which respond
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