Appeal No. 97-3983
Application 08/506,851
through 20.
The invention relates to a “cartlike sanitation apparatus adapted to receive liquid
waste, as from hospital patients, for transport to a nearby disposal site for draining
discharge” (specification, page 1). Claims 9 and 13, the two independent claims
remaining on appeal, are illustrative and read as follows:
9. In mobile sanitation apparatus having housing means, the improvement
comprising temporarily deformable elastomeric receptor means for a patient’s waste
liquid, tubular means adapted to conduct the waste liquid from the receptor means into a
temporary waste liquid storage compartment in the housing means, and rinse means for
rinsing clean the waste liquid path from the receptor means into the storage compartment.
13. In mobile sanitation means, the improvement comprising elastomeric receptor
means for waste liquids, having a base with a discharge outlet and having a hollow wall
upstanding surrounding a major part of the base and having an opening into the wall hollow
and openings connected therewith through and along the wall and facing inward therefrom
for rinse water supplied to the hollow to flow down the wall and over the base to the
discharge opening.
The references relied upon by the examiner as evidence of anticipation and
obviousness are:
Coffman et al. (Coffman) 3,192,537 Jul. 6, 1965
Smith 5,117,511 Jun. 2, 1992
Claims 13 and 17 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 102(b) as being anticipated by
Smith, and claims 9 through 12 and 14 through 20 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103
as being unpatentable over Smith in view of Coffman.
Reference is made to the appellant’s brief (Paper No. 9) and to the examiner’s
2
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Next
Last modified: November 3, 2007