Appeal No. 97-0752
Application 08/354,304
allowable if rewritten in independent form to include all the
limitations of base claim 1.2
Appellants’ invention pertains to a mechanical coupling
device for transmitting rotational movement from one member to
another. A basic understanding of the invention can be derived
from a reading of exemplary claim 1, a copy of which is appended
to appellants’ brief.
In support of the rejection, the examiner relies on the
reference listed below:
Moore 4,240,763 Dec. 23, 1980
Claims 1-4 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being
unpatentable over Moore. The examiner’s findings with respect to
Moore are as follows:
[T]he examiner views member 16 as a particulate charge
residing with a chamber, and means for compressing or
releasing the charge as the transfer of torsional
forces between the inner and outer shafts 11 and 12
(described in column 3, lines 8-13). . . . [T]he
material of the coupling member 16 of Moore is designed
such that it comprises elastomeric material and acts as
a resilient coupling, and such that at predetermined
stress’ [sic] the member will transfer the applied
torque between members. [answer, page 3]
2The amendment filed on May 9, 1996 subsequent to the final
rejection has not been entered. See the advisory letters dated
June 7, 1996 (Paper No. 9) and June 19, 1996 (Paper No. 10).
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