Appeal No. 96-1881
Application No. 08/095,476
14 and a sealing position at which the sealing end surface 97 of
the heated tube 48 will be pressed against such a cushion 14 on
the support surface 46 to seal shut the inlet passageways 28 of
the cushion 14 in a narrow band around its central opening 22
(see Figure 9). In view of these teachings of Casey that the
inlet passageways are sealed shut, we find that Casey would have
taught one skilled in the art that after the inlet passageways
are sealed shut, the chambers (26 in Figure 2 or 115 in Figure
10) are isolated from each other (i.e., the chambers are out of
fluid communication from each other). Thus, Casey teaches the
following steps (1) forming a bladder having opposing surfaces
from elastomeric material, the bladder formed to include two
chambers opened at one end to a common area, the chambers
isolated from each other except at said common area;
(2) supplying fluid into the bladder, the fluid flowing through
the common area so that each chamber is pressurized; and
(3) joining the surfaces to each other at the common area after
the chambers are pressurized and thereby isolating the chambers
out of fluid communication from each other. In view of the
above-noted teachings of Casey, we believe there is ample
motivation for one skilled in the art to have inflated Bolla's
air pockets 3 and 4, for example, simultaneously through a single
14
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