Ex Parte Fichtner et al - Page 3




               Appeal No.  2006-2534                                                                                                  
               Application No.  10/789,411                                                                                            


                                                             OPINION                                                                  
                       In rejecting the claims, the Examiner refers to Figures 1 and 2 of Carlson and reads the                       
               claimed stacked laminations on laminations 11 and the recited plate on washers 13 and 14, which                        
               are attached to the end surfaces of the rotor core and allow an axial deflection of the laminations                    
               in the area of the plate (answer, page 3).  To show the plate extending to an area of the shaft, the                   
               Examiner further relies on Figure 4 depicting washers 13 and 14 extending to an area of the shaft                      
               since they are shown to bite into the shaft at region 18 (id.).                                                        
                       Appellants argue that the washers in Carlson are not attached to the end surface of the                        
               rotor core and instead, are placed against the fiber discs 12 which are not a part of the rotor core                   
               (brief, pages 4 and 5).  To further distinguish the claims over Carlson, Appellants point out that                     
               the claimed plate can be sized to extend shy of the outer shaft surface and does not necessary                         
               need to be sized to bear upon the shaft as the washers of Carlson do (brief, paragraph bridging                        
               pages 4-5).                                                                                                            
                       The Examiner responds by stating that Carlson (col. 2, lines 14-16) describes the rotor                        
               core as having a core thereon comprising a series of laminations 11 located between fiber discs                        
               12, which clearly makes the fiber discs a part of the core (answer, page 4).  The Examiner further                     
               argues that independent claim 1 recites the rotor core as being formed of a plurality of stacked                       
               laminations and does not exclude other elements, which are not laminations, from being                                 
               considered as part of the core (id.).  The Examiner also asserts that washers 13 and 14 further                        



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