Appeal No. 96-3388 Page 7
Application No. 08/036,857
during the entire time in which the optical assembly is moving
along the entire arc of the semi-circular rack gear 15c.
(Appeal Br. at 3, 6.) During oral hearing, appellant’s
representative stressed the optical lens is cleaned
continuously during this entire time of movement along the
arc.
Comparison of the claim language to the teachings of
Okamoto, Takei, and Kusaura evidences the references would not
have suggested the claimed means for cleaning. Okamoto is
silent as to a cleaning means. Takei is irrelevant to the
positioning of a cleaning means in an optical disk drive.
Kusaura discloses positioning a cleaning brush at the
outermost circumferential portion of a disk cartridge. P.
192, Figs. 1-3. The examiner and appellant agree a person of
ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine
Kusaura with Okamoto to locate a brush in the outermost
circumferential position of the disk in Okamoto, which they
refer to as “option 1.” (Examiner’s Answer at 5; Appeal Br.
at 5-6.) A brush located in this position, however, would
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