Appeal No. 2003-1653
Application No. 09/828,102
Accordingly, we shall sustain the standing 35 U.S.C. § 112,
first paragraph, rejection of claims 19 through 34.
II. The 35 U.S.C. § 103(a) rejections of claims 19 through 34
Schrum discloses a self-aligning trailer hitch system
comprising a towing vehicle hitch assembly 10 and a towed trailer
hitch assembly 40. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the towing
vehicle hitch assembly 10 includes a hitch bracket 12 welded to
the frame of the towing vehicle, a ball support element 14 welded
to the hitch bracket, a ball 16 affixed to the ball support
element, a back plate 22 welded to the hitch bracket, a release
arm 24 rotatably mounted to the back plate, and a flat base plate
32 having right and left guide plates 30 and 31 rotatably mounted
to the ball support element. In a support position, “[r]elease
arm 24 maintains plate 32 in an inclined plane with respect to a
top surface of support element 14” (column 2, lines 53 through
55). As shown in Figures 3 through 5, the towed vehicle hitch
assembly 40, which is mounted to a tow bar 38 and ball socket 46
attached to the frame of the trailer, includes a frame 48 and
four roller bearings 50. In use, and as best illustrated in
Figure 6,
during engagement of the first 10 and second 40 hitch
assembly the trailer remains in a fixed position with
its hitch roller assembly 40 stationary on the trailer
tow bar 38. The towing vehicle backs towards the
6
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