Appeal No. 96-4136
Application 08/157,688
In discussing the operation of the stem attachment shown in
Fig. 5, Schneider states at col. 9, lines 27 to 38 (emphasis
added):
To attach the handlebar stem to the bicycle, the inner
core 84 and outer core 87 are slipped over the fork
pipe 85, and the handlebar stem is lowered until the
bearings housing's 89 race of the cone 79, is seated on
the bearings 89. The bolt 91 is then tightened,
thereby drawing up the wedge nut 93 against the
interior diameter of the inner core 84 and causing the
interior diameter of the inner core 84 not only to
expand, but to rise slightly, clamping the core 83 to
the fork pipe 85. The inner core 84 is slit on its
sides, preferably symmetrically at two or four
locations, at its lower end to facilitate its expansion
in the clamping mode.
Schneider does not expressly disclose any displacement of the
fork tube 85 perpendicular to its axis, i.e., laterally, but this
is not conclusive on the issue of anticipation, since a reference
may still anticipate a claim limitation if that limitation is
inherently disclosed. In re Schreiber, 128 F.3d 1473, 1477, 44
USPQ2d 1429, 1431 (Fed. Cir. 1997); Verdegaal Bros., Inc. v.
Union Oil Co. of Calif., 814 F.2d 628, 633, 2 USPQ 1051, 1054,
(Fed. Cir), cert. denied, 484 U.S. 827 (1987).
The examiner finds in effect that when the interior diameter
of Schneider's inner core 84 is expanded, as disclosed (supra),
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