Appeal No. 1997-1506 Page 8
Application No. 08/442,413
To achieve this, a lever element (28), to be
identified as a bendable support (28), originates at
the end (24) of the support (16) and extends, in a
plane offset in respect to the supports (14) and
(16), past the end (24) of the support (16).
To be able to elastically bend the support (16)
in the desired amount, one [sic. on] the one hand
forces F and counterforces F act on the support (16)
in the area of its end [27], and, on the other hand,
corresponding forces F and counterforces F act on
the bendable support (28), so that therefore a
bending moment diverging from zero is generated in
the end (24) of the support (16) and thus an elastic
line having a constant radius of curvature [emphasis
added].
The above-cited disclosure clearly conveys that opposing
forces are applied to the lever (28). While the appellants'
specification as originally filed does not expressly state
that the force and counterforce discussed above are applied to
the lever by means of a “device” as claimed, we are satisfied
that the disclosure of the use of an electromechanical
actuating drive to bend the steel support (16) on page 6 of
the original specification would have reasonably conveyed to
one of ordinary skill in the art that all forces generated
acting on the support (16), whether directly or indirectly via
the lever, are generated by means of electromechanical
actuating drives, rather than by hand. Thus, it is our
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