Appeal No. 2003-0693
Application No. 09/006,248
Claim 46 is directed to an apparatus that includes, among
other things, an arm having a fluid powered workpiece gripping
mechanism, the arm being mounted to a base by a ball and socket
joint, and a flexible line passing from the base, through the ball
and to the gripping mechanism.
The cited references do not disclose or collectively teach a
ball joint having a ball with fluid flowing therethrough. For the
reasons explained in our treatment of rejection (8), Vachtsevanos,
Blatt ‘276 and Kraft do not teach or suggest this arrangement.
Blatt ‘566 is similar to Blatt ‘276 in that the fluid lines H
bypass the ball joints that mount the booms to the boom arm.
Hurlimann, directed to a telescoping arm arrangement, and Giern,
directed to a universal vise, also do not disclose a ball joint
having fluid flowing therethrough.
Summary
The rejection of claims 39 and 40 under 35 U.S.C. § 112,
second paragraph, is affirmed.
The rejection of claims 29, 31, 33 and 41 as being
unpatentable over Herbermann ‘097 in view of Blatt ‘556 and Kraft
is affirmed.
All other rejections are reversed.
The decision of the examiner is affirmed-in-part.
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