Appeal 2007-1214
Application 10/272,270
“generally consist of a trough member connected to one or more base
members by means of spring mechanisms such as wound steel wire coil
springs or stacked arrays of elastomer rubber blocks” (id.).
According to the Specification, both coil springs and elastomer
springs have disadvantages. Coil springs tend to sag or bend when applied
in the non-vertical orientation used in vibratory feeders, unless an additional
leaf spring is added (id. at 3). Disadvantages of elastomer springs include
difficulties in achieving consistent spring rates, relatively high cost of
manufacture, and aging of the blocks resulting in loss of spring rate (id.
at 6).
Figure 1a1 of the instant application is reproduced below:
The figure is said to show “an ovoid-shaped coil spring . . . with the
longitudinal [line A-A], lateral [line B-B] and transverse [line C-C] axis
indicated by dashed lines” (Specification 8; see also id. at 10:11-17)
The Specification discloses that an ovoid-shaped coil spring
“compares favorably to the elastomer spring, having the same advantages of
a high spring rate, and being stiff enough in the shear direction to support the
1 Formal drawings, filed March 24, 2003.
2
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