Appeal No. 98-2352
Application 08/245,870
Appellants’ invention relates to an exercise machine that is specially designed for
exercising the lower back muscles of a user. As noted on page 2 of the specification,
it is appellants’ intention to provide an exercise machine that properly isolates the
lower back so as to primarily exercise the spinae erector muscle group of the lower
back in an isotonic manner.
Claims 1, 10 and 18 are representative of the subject matter on appeal and a
copy of those claims, as reproduced from Appendix A of appellants’ brief, is attached
to this decision.
The prior art references of record relied upon by the examiner in rejecting the
appealed claims are:
Smidt et al. (Smidt) 4,462,252 Jul. 31, 1984
Rockwell 4,623,144 Nov. 18, 1986
Sammaratano 4,753,126 Jun. 28, 1988
Marras et al. (Marras) 5,094,249 Mar. 10, 1992
Boren 5,269,738Dec. 14, 1993
Claims 1 through 8, 10 through 16, 18 and 20 through 24 stand rejected under 35
U.S.C. §102(b) as anticipated by, or in the alternative under 35 U.S.C. §103 as
obvious over, Rockwell.
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