Appeal No. 2004-1966
Application No. 09/683,703
position for limiting rotational travel of the steering input
shaft.1
The examiner’s finding that the Hanger mechanism comprises a
steering input shaft in the form of gear post 10 and a female
receptacle in the form of the worm gear 11 is reasonable on its
face and is not disputed by the appellants.
With regard to the claim limitations calling for the female
receptacle to have at least one stop position for limiting
rotational travel of the steering input shaft, the examiner
submits that
[f]irstly, the phrase “for limiting rotational travel
of a steering input shaft” is merely intended use and
presents no structural limitation. Secondly the
limitation “stop position” is not [a] physical object.
A position is a location. . . . Any object will have
a position. The female receptacle of [Hanger], in the
threaded portion of worm gear 11, inherently has a
“stop position” when it stops [answer, page 4].
As for the claim limitations calling for a steer-by-wire
steering system and a steering input shaft that is not
mechanically linked to the steered wheels, the examiner,
recognizing that the Hanger mechanism does not embody such a
1 The appellants’ specification indicates that “[a] steering
system which has no direct mechanical linkage between the
steering wheel and the steered road wheels is commonly referred
to as a steer-by-wire steering system” (page 1). Hence, the
first two claim limitations argued by the appellants are, in
essence, mutually dependent.
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