Appeal 2006-2793
Application 10/829,536
inherency, that Rinsma’s pressure pad 36, 53 and nut/groove connection 39,
39’ together comprise “a force limiting assembly for limiting the force
acting upon the force transducer upon generation of the clamping force” as
recited in claim 26. With respect to independent claim 27, the issue to be
decided is whether the Examiner has established that Rinsma discloses,
either expressly or under principles of inherency, that the arrangement of
Rinsma’s screw 24, pressure pad 36, 53, piston 35, and nut/groove
connection 39, 39’ is such that Rinsma’s disc brake assembly has “a second
force transmission path arranged between the actuator and at least one of the
brake shoes, the second force transmission path bypassing the force sensing
element” as recited in claim 27.
FINDINGS OF FACT
In Appellant’s invention, the reactive force of the brake shoe 12 on
the piston 52 is transmitted via a first force transmission path C to act on the
force transducer 42. Specifically, the force is transmitted through the elastic
diaphragm 62 and oil-filled chamber 64 and acts on the pressure-to-
resistance transducer 66 of the force transducer 42 (Specification 8:20-29;
10:4-22). In Appellant’s Fig. 1 embodiment, as soon as a predetermined
threshold value of reactive force is reached, such that the diameter
enlargement 56 of piston 52 abuts the stop formed by diameter reduction 57
of receiver 40, the component of reactive force exceeding the predetermined
threshold value is transmitted along a second force transmission path D that
bypasses the force transducer. Consequently, the force acting on the force
transducer never exceeds the predetermined threshold value (Specification
11:21-30). In other words, the force acting on Appellant’s force transducer
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