Appeal No. 96-1999
Application 08/216,382
Hubert (column 3, lines 56 through 62), “[i]f thruster 38 is
not to be energized,” valves are controlled whereupon liquid
is transferred between containers.4
Based upon our above findings regarding the teaching
of the Hubert patent, it is clear to us that this reference
does not
teach, only during operation of a first thruster, preferential
feed of propellant from one of the first and second tanks to
the first thruster in a manner which tends to move the actual
center of mass relative to an axis of thrust in a manner which
tends to maintain the attitude of the spacecraft (claim 1 on
appeal) or
only during the firing of a thruster, controlling the flow of
propellant from tanks in a manner which tends to move the
actual center of mass of a spacecraft relative to the thrust
axis of the thruster (method claim 8 on appeal). It is for
4Both the examiner (answer, page 3) and appellant (brief,
page 5) understand the system of the Hubert reference as
operating so long as there is an imbalance of the spinning
spacecraft, regardless of the operating state of the velocity
change thruster.
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