Appeal No. 2006-0178
Application No. 09/877,188
a drive track disposed below the frame and connected operatively to the engine for
propulsion of the snowmobile;
a forward-most drive track axle disposed on the frame;
two skis disposed on the frame;
a steering device having a steering position; and
a steering shaft operatively connecting the skis to the steering device for steering the
snowmobile, wherein the steering position is disposed forward of the forward-most drive track
axle.
The prior art set forth below is relied upon by the examiner as evidence of obviousness:
Christensen et al. (Christensen) 3,734,219 May 22, 1973
Atherley 5,944,380 Aug. 31, 1999
The admitted prior art as presented in Figures 1 and 8 of the appellants’ drawing and as
described on pages 1-2 of the appellants’ specification.
Claims 1-21, 24, 26-32, 37-47, 50, 52-65, 67-75, 77-87, 92-95, 100-104, 109-118 and
122-130 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a) as being unpatentable over the appellants’
admitted prior art in view of Christensen, and claims 22, 23, 25, 48, 49, 51, 66 and 76 are
correspondingly rejected over the aforementioned prior art and further in view of Atherley.
Rather than reiterate the respective positions advocated by the appellants and by the
examiner concerning these rejections, we refer to the brief and to the answer for a complete
exposition thereof.
OPINION
For the reasons which follow, we cannot sustain either of the above-noted rejections.
The examiner acknowledges that the appellants’ admitted prior art contains no teaching
or suggestion of a snowmobile having the here claimed features wherein the steering shaft is
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