Ex parte JOHNSON - Page 13




          Appeal No. 96-0776                                                          
          Application 07/953,539                                                      


          seal assembly comprises an inner conductive part 11 sized and               
          shaped to substantially mate with the coupled openings presented            
          at the joined flanges, with the inner conductive part having a              
          defined outer perimeter.  The Bellis assembly further comprises             
          an outer part 13 separable from the inner part and having a                 
          central opening that is complimentary in shape to the outer                 
          perimeter of the inner part and larger such that when the inner             
          part is placed within the central opening an intermediate gap               
          separates the parts, and a gas sealing element 12 sized to                  
          removably fit in the gap for providing a pressure seal at the               
          joint when the parts and the sealing element are clamped between            
          the flanges of the joint.                                                   
               The Bellis seal assembly "concerns fluid seals and has a               
          particular application to the sealing of substantially parallel             
          surfaces, as for example, pipe flanges and the like" (page 1,               
          lines 10 through 13).  Its sealing element "forms a circum-                 
          ferential seal about the axis of the pipe and flanges" (page 1,             
          lines 19 through 21).  The Bellis reference does not mention                
          waveguides.  However, from our perspective, a waveguide is merely           
          a pipe that contains fluid under pressure (or vacuum) through               




                                          13                                          





Page:  Previous  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  Next 

Last modified: November 3, 2007