Appeal No. 97-0737
Application 08/538,554
Flick’s inner pads 4, which correspond to the claimed resilient
pads, do not have such relieved regions and are not associated
with any rigid pads.
Wortberg discloses an impact dissipator particularly
designed for use as a hip guard. The back of the dissipator
carries an adhesive layer intended to adhere to the skin of the
user and includes a concave recess 2 shaped to accommodate the
greater trochanter so as to facilitate proper alignment and
fastening of the dissipator (see column 3, lines 19 through 24).
Valtakari discloses an athletic outfit (trousers and/or a
coat) having pockets at various locations, including the hip
areas, for receiving protective pads. The pads may be relatively
lightweight sheets of elastic material for absorbing shocks or
heavier duty constructions wherein the sheets are attached to
protective cups made of a material which is highly resistant to
blows and rubbing (see column 4, lines 10 through 15).
According to the examiner, it would have been obvious to one
having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was
made “to provide a relieved portion in the pad of Flick as taught
by Wortberg in order to facilitate attachment of the hip pad to a
wearer” (answer, page 4) and “to add a rigid plastic layer to the
outside of pad (4) of Flick as taught by Valtakari in order to
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Last modified: November 3, 2007