Appeal 2007-1170
Application 10/971,698
15. The effect of positioning the baffle in this manner is said to be that,
"the vapor efflux pressure has an opportunity to equilibrate prior to the vapor
efflux reaching and circumventing the baffle. This pressure equalization
allows the vapor flow to uniformly exit the efflux apertures 42."
(Specification at 14:4.)
16. According to the Specification, the technical reason for this effect is:
Essentially, the narrow passage permitting vapor to flow from
around the edges of the baffle member into the region above the
baffle causes a pressure difference (a pressure drop resulting
from a restriction) that produces a more uniform flow into the
region above the baffle (i.e., between the baffle and cover) and,
consequently, a more uniform vapor efflux emission across the
array of apertures.
(Specification at 14:5–9.)
17. The Specification teaches that to achieve this effect, "the ratio of the
interior volume of the container to the volume of the region between the
baffle member 50 and heater cover 40 should be at least approximately 20
to 1."
(Specification at 14:10-12.)
18. The Specification emphasizes that "any volume ratios and baffle
spacings capable of producing substantially uniform vapor flow into the
region of the apertures are considered to be within the scope of the
invention." (Specification at 14:30–32.)
19. The Specification provides a specific example, in which the interior
length of the source container is 498 mm, the interior width dimension is
36 mm, and the interior height dimension is 46 mm, resulting in an overall
interior volume of 824.7 cm3. (Specification at 14:14–17.)
6
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Next
Last modified: September 9, 2013