Appeal No. 97-2142
Application 08/114,896
time measuring instrument of the type utilizing an electromagnet
for creating a time-varying magnetic field. Independent claim 1
is further illustrative of the appealed subject matter and reads
as follows:
1. An instrument comprising a detector for
monitoring a change in a characteristic of a
biological fluid or a control, the biological
fluid or control being combined with particles
which are affected by a magnetic field so that the
particles become suspended relatively freely in
the biological fluid or control, and an electro-
magnet for creating a time-varying magnetic field
which causes the particles to be reoriented as the
magnetic field varies, the reorientation changing
as the characteristic of the biological fluid or
control changes, the electromagnet including a
core comprising a first leg, an electrically
conductive coil provided on the core for creating
a time-varying magnetic flux in the core, a flux
return provided at least partly through the core
for the time-varying magnetic flux, and a drive
circuit coupled to the coil for providing time-
varying current flow therein.
The references relied on by the examiner are:
Hubbard et al. (Hubbard) 3,882,442 May 06, 1975
Ootsuka 4,940,958 Jul. 10, 1990
Oberhardt 5,110,727 May 05, 1992
Claims 1-4, 6 and 7 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as
being obvious over Oberhardt in view of Ootsuka.
Claim 5 stands rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being
unpatentable over Oberhardt in view of Ootsuka and Hubbard.
Each of the above noted rejections is based on the exam-
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