Appeal 2007-1549
Application 10/632,017
a bearing shell inserted into said housing;
a ball pivot with a joint ball mounted
pivotally in all directions in said bearing shell;
a sealing bellows between the housing and
the ball pivot, said sealing bellows having a pivot-
side edge area;
a ball race fixed on said ball pivot; and
a sliding ring receiving said pivot-side edge
area of said sealing bellows, said sliding ring being
mounted to slide in said ball race, said sliding ring
having a sliding surface facing the joint ball
arranged adjacent to the ball race, wherein said
ball race has a leg which is in contact with said
sliding ring, said leg comprising lugs arranged at
spaced locations from one another.
THE REJECTIONS
The Examiner relies upon the following as evidence of
unpatentability:
Gardner US 2,197,037 Apr. 16, 1940
Yao (as translated) JP 2-199317 Aug. 7, 1990
Appellants seek review of the Examiner’s rejections of claims 1, 5, 9-
10, 12, 14, 17, 20, 23, and 29 under 35 U.S.C. 102(b) as anticipated by Yao
and, claims 30 and 31 under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as obvious over Yao in view
of Gardner.2
The Examiner provides reasoning in support of the rejections in the
Answer (mailed November 16, 2006). Appellants present opposing
2 The rejection of claims 1 and 28 as anticipated by Amrath has been
withdrawn (Ans. 3).
3
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