Ex parte DOMINGUEZ - Page 8




          Appeal No. 95-4860                                                          
          Application No. 08/044,923                                                  


          obvious to provide the device of O’Connor with an intermediate              
          support as taught by Streich at 78.  We do not agree.  While                
          the member 78 of O’Connor may broadly be considered a support,              
          this member 78 is attached to a removable plug which is                     
          initially positioned in the conductor pipe of an offshore                   
          production platform and serves to keep the removable plug in                
          the center of the pipe (and thus reduce the possibility of the              
          removable plug sticking in the conductor pipe) as it is drawn               
          through the conductor pipe when the removable plug is to be                 
          removed from the conductor pipe (see column 5, lines 41-51).                
          On the other hand, O’Connor is directed to a plunger apparatus              
          for removing obstructions in sewer and water-closet pipes.  To              
          this end, an expandable seal (C) is coupled to a first shaft                
          (f) and an expandable plunger head                                          
          (B), which may be expanded to fit various sizes of pipe, is                 
          attached to a second shaft (A) which is reciprocally mounted                
          within the first shaft.  In use the, the expandable plunger                 
          head (B) of O’Connor is (1) adjusted to fit the size of the                 
          pipe in which it is employed, (2) the expandable plunger head               
          (B) and expandable seal (C) are inserted into the pipe, (3)                 
          the expandable seal (C) is expanded into sealing relationship               
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