Appeal No. 1997-1071
Application No. 08/350,119
each claim, the phrase "combustion state parameter" is defined
in the first paragraph of the claim as "a difference between
revolution speed of the specific cylinder and revolution speed
of at least one of the other cylinders." Claim 8, on the
other hand, recites a means for correcting the threshold level
"by a value which is a function of said engine revolution
speed."
The examiner states (Final Rejection, page 3) that
"Maddock et al. suggest the limitations of claim 1, except for
correcting the threshold." Appellants likewise assert (Brief,
page 10) that Maddock "do[es] not make any provision for
correcting the threshold value." Maddock, however, discloses
in column 6, lines 14-17, that "the first threshold T1 is
empirically determined and, in the preferred embodiment, it is
equal to one-half the
magnitude of the deviation average DEVAVG for that engine
cycle." Thus, since DEVAVG is calculated and may change for
each engine cycle, and since the threshold level is one half
of DEVAVG, the threshold level likewise is calculated and may
change (or is updated) each engine cycle. Further, DEVAVG is
4
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next
Last modified: November 3, 2007