Appeal No. 2006-2962
Application No. 10/252,177
As the thermoplastic material which is used to
make the soft first material layer 60 flows around the
hard second material layer 70, some of the thermoplastic
material at the projecting portion 76 of the hard second
material layer 70 melts and chemically bonds with the
thermoplastic material used to make the soft first material
layer 60. As the materials cool, a physical bond is
formed between the interconnecting portion 66 and the
projecting portion 76 to hold the hard second material
layer 70 and the soft first material layer 60 together. The
area contact between the interconnecting surfaces 65, 75
defines a break line 30 that extends in a U-shape
horizontally across the deployment door 12 and vertically
along opposite sides of the deployment door adjacent the
outer surface 72 of the hard second material layer 70.
The break line 30 extends in a U-shape along the juncture
of the interconnecting surface 65 of the soft first material
layer 60 and the interconnecting surface 75 of the hard
second material layer 70 [col. 4, l. 39, through col. 5, l.
5].
In the event of a collision, the air bag 18 inflates and presses against the
inner surface 74 of the hard material layer 70. This causes the interconnecting
surfaces 65 and 75 to separate from one another along the U-shaped break line 30
(see col. 5, ll. 6-14). Continued inflation of the air bag pivots the flap portion 86
bounded by the tear line to an open position (see Figure 4) permitting the bag to
deploy into the passenger compartment of the vehicle (see col. 5, ll. 15-26).
According to the Examiner (Answer 3-4), the air bag door/cover
manufacturing method disclosed by Cherry teaches or would have suggested all of
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