Ex Parte Ziech et al - Page 3

                Appeal 2007-2613                                                                              
                Application 10/660,239                                                                        

                                                   ISSUE                                                      
                      The sole issue for our consideration in this appeal is whether the                      
                Appellant has established, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the                       
                Examiner erred in rejecting claims 1-12, 14, 18, and 20 on the ground of                      
                obviousness.                                                                                  
                                           FINDINGS OF FACT                                                   
                      Smith discloses several embodiments of a trailing arm suspension for                    
                a vehicle.  With reference to Fig. 1 of Smith, Smith discloses a frame 10                     
                with control arm 18 pivotally mounted on the frame at pivot pin 22.  At the                   
                trailing end of the trailing arm 18, an axle is rigidly fastened to the trailing              
                arm.  Smith discloses many embodiments with possibilities for fixing the                      
                axle onto the end of the trailing arm.  The axle could be square, round or                    
                hexagonal with the round axle enclosed in a sleeve.  The Examiner directs                     
                our attention to the embodiment disclosed in Figs. 47 and 48 which shows                      
                the axle 524 encased in a sleeve 544, 548 at the end of the trailing arm and                  
                wherein a second sleeve 588 of elastic material is provided around the axle                   
                inside the first sleeve 544, 548.                                                             
                      The other circular embodiments of Smith show various weldments                          
                holding the two sides of the outer sleeve together.  Many of the other                        
                embodiments forego an elastomeric sleeve.  Thus, it is our conclusion that                    
                Smith, in his disclosure of fixing an axle in the rear section of a trailing arm,             
                discloses some examples where the axle is rigidly supported, and discloses                    
                some examples where the axle is supported for limited movement as by an                       
                elastomeric sleeve.  Accordingly, it is our finding that the two methods of                   
                axle attachment are art-recognized equivalents that can be used                               


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