Appeal No. 97-1070
Application 08/100,418
on appeal of measuring crankshaft acceleration. We find that this embodiment of Buck merely
calculates a compression index for each cylinder by measuring piston acceleration (column 10, line 26)
for use in finding a compression ratio. While it is possible that Buck’s system could determine
crankshaft acceleration, we find that the disclosure of Buck does not actually teach or
suggest detecting acceleration at the crankshaft. While Buck does teach measuring piston acceleration
to obtain a compression index (column 10, lines 20-38), Buck fails to teach providing
a variable which reflects measured crankshaft acceleration. Furthermore, Buck’s compression test
embodiment does not take any measurements during normal engine operation, but during cranking.
We are in agreement with appellants that Buck does not teach measurement of acceleration of
an engine’s crankshaft, but instead teaches measuring time intervals (Reply Brief, page 11) . Our
careful review of Buck fails to reveal any teaching or suggestion of measuring, calculating, or
determining a crankshaft acceleration.
The examiner takes the position that although Buck measures compression during cranking
without the engine running, it would have been obvious to measure compression during normal engine
operation (Answer, page 5). We find that the compression test embodiment of Buck relied on in the
rejection fails to make obvious the significant feature of the claimed invention of determining a
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