Ex Parte McAuliffe et al - Page 4

                Appeal 2007-1420                                                                              
                Application 10/992,431                                                                        


                fluid parallel manner provides an air bearing inlet region 96 for the lower                   
                herringbone air bearing 92.                                                                   
                      We agree with Appellants’ observation at page 6 of the principal Brief                  
                that claim 1 requires separate entrances provided in the structure of the                     
                housing for motor and air bearing cooling flows.  We also agree with the                      
                view expressed there that Jesinger’s housing 30 comprises an inlet 91 which                   
                mandates an interpretation of one, shared inlet through which cooling flow                    
                does enter.  On the other hand, however, claim 1 merely recites that there is                 
                one housing inlet or an inlet to the housing itself but separate inlet portions               
                for the motor and bearing cooling inlets are required within the housing.  A                  
                common housing inlet feeds these two separate motor and air bearing                           
                cooling inlets.  The claim does not exclude the Examiner’s interpretation and                 
                ours.  The artisan would well appreciate that there are separate paths for the                
                motor and air bearing portions in the claim and in Jesinger.  We do not agree                 
                with Appellants’ views expressed at the top of page 7 of the principal Brief                  
                that the stator may not receive air that is flowed through the air bearings nor               
                that these bearings cannot receive air that has flowed through the stator                     
                because these features are not required to be completely separately arranged.                 
                The claim does not require that the flows not be intermixed or intermixable.                  
                      Moreover, we agree with the Examiner’s observation at the bottom of                     
                page 4 of the Answer that claim 1 merely recites separate and parallel paths                  
                to the motor and bearing mounts and not separate and parallel paths into the                  
                housing.  Notwithstanding these remarks, Appellants’ Reply Brief at the                       
                bottom of page 1 insists that claim 1 require separate motor and bearing                      
                cooling entrances “to” the housing, a feature plainly not required by the                     

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