Appeal No. 96-1883
Application 08/078,380
34 and 35. Claims 3, 4, 12 through 14, 16 and 36 have been2
canceled, and claims 6, 7, 9 through 11, 19 through 21, 23, 24,
26, 27 and 33 stand withdrawn from consideration as being
directed to a non-elected species.
The appellants' invention is directed to an apparatus and
method for handling and operating on an article. The subject
matter before us on appeal is illustrated by reference to claim
1, which reads as follows:
1. An apparatus for handling and operating on an article
comprising a member having a working surface, an opposing
surface, and at least one orifice beginning from at least one
inlet, passing through the member, and having at least one outlet
on the working surface to permit a fluid to enter the member
through the inlet and pass through the orifice, wherein the fluid
passing through the orifice handles and operates on an article
located adjacent the working surface while preventing the article
from contacting the working surface, wherein the member is a web
comprising a plurality of stacked layers having major surfaces
and connected to each other along the major surfaces, wherein the
working surface comprises an outer major surface of one of the
stacked layers, wherein the orifice is formed by respective
openings in adjacent layers and is nonlinear to create an
angular, nonlinear, stepped path for the fluid, and wherein a
direction of any fluid that exits the outlet is caused by the
angular, nonlinear, stepped path.
2Two amendments made after the final rejection were entered
for purposes of appeal, but did not alter the examiner's position
regarding the patentability of the claims over the cited
reference (see Paper No. 31). Claim 36, which was canceled by
the appellants in Paper No. 30, erroneously was included in the
appendix of claims attached to the Replacement Brief.
2
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