Appeal No. 95-4002
Application 08/081,858
Durrett discloses a plastic fuel tank “constructed so as to resist impact loading
failure by forming said tank from a plurality of containers and adapting said tank to
distribute the energy of impact loading relatively equally throughout the container by
adapting the tank to communicate fluid between the containers” (abstract). Several
embodiments are disclosed. In Figures 1-2, a rectangular tank comprising containers 1
and 2 is formed by joining upper and lower parts along a horizontal seam. A vertical
seam could also be used, or the entire tank molded without seams as one unit (column
3, lines 14-16). The containers are separated by a centrally located pocket (not
numbered) extending between the top and bottom walls of the tank along the length of
the tank. Figure 3 illustrates a rectangular tank comprising three compartments
separated by pockets that extend transverse to the length of the tank. In Figure 4, a
tank comprising four containers is shown, with the containers collectively forming a
cross-like pocket. Figure 5 shows a further embodiment made up of identical
containers 50 joined along vertical seams 53. Although not expressly stated, the
pockets of the various embodiments of Durrett reasonably appear to be capable of
acting, at least to some degree, as baffles to restrict sloshing of fuel contained in the
tank.
The examiner concedes that Durrett does not disclose, among other things, a
pocket forming a baffle positioned in accordance with the requirements of claim 8. The
examiner deals with this deficiency as follows:
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