Appeal No. 2004-0546
Application No. 09411793
generating an output signal that is representative of the
position of the valve member. Since Ewing discloses the use of
the linear movement of a rack to effect rotary movement of a
valve shaft, we concur with the examiner's reasoning that it
would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to
also utilize the linear movement of Ewing's rack to effect the
rotary movement of a potentiometer to determine and generate an
output signal that is representative of the position of the valve
member. In our view, one of ordinary skill in the art, cognizant
of the known proportional relationship between the linear
displacement of Ewing's rack and the rotary movement of Ewing's
valve shaft, would have found it obvious to utilize a similar
proportional relationship between the linear displacement of
Ewing's rack and the rotary movement of a rotary potentiometer.
We do not agree with appellants' assessment that one of ordinary
skill in the art, upon combining Ewing and Kawai, would have been
limited to using the rotary movement of the valve shaft to drive
the rotary potentiometer. Rather, we are satisfied that one of
ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious, as an
alternative to coupling the potentiometer directly to the valve
shaft, to indirectly couple the rotary potentiometer to the
movement of the valve shaft via the linear displacement of the
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