Appeal No. 97-4078
Application No. 08/232,947
BACKGROUND
The present invention relates to an apparatus for temporarily retaining sunglasses
on a vehicle sunvisor. The invention is an improvement in a retaining clip which uses
several retaining features to provide positive retention of the sunglasses, easy insertion of
the sunglasses past camming surfaces of plural nubs and ready removal of the sunglasses
by actuation of a lever which pivots the clip jaw to release the sunglasses taking advantage
of the differential camming of the nubs.
Appellant has indicated that claims 1 and 5 stand or fall together, but claims 2, 3
3
and 4 do not stand or fall together. (See brief at page 5.)
Independent claim 1 is representative of the invention and reproduced as follows:
1. A clip for securing sunglasses and like articles to a vehicle sunvisor comprising a
pair of longitudinally extended jaws extending from a common base in opposed relation
along substantially their entire lengths and arranged for clasping a sunvisor there-between,
one of said jaws being separable from said sunvisor, a plurality of nubs along said one jaw
longitudinally spaced to receive said articles therebetween in mounting relation to said
sunvisor, each of said nubs having a differential camming surface preferentially facilitating
sliding of said articles out of position between said nubs over sliding into position between
said nubs, and a lever extending from one of said jaws for pivoting said one jaw relative to
the sunvisor a distance which taken with said preferential camming surface of said nubs
allows said articles to pass readily into or out of position between said nubs.
The prior art references of record relied upon by the Examiner in rejecting the
appealed claims are:
3 Appellant filed a substitute appeal brief, February 25, 1997, (Paper No. 18) to replace the non-
compliant appeal brief filed November 8, 1996, (Paper No. 16). We will refer to this substitute appeal brief
as simply the brief.
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