Appeal No. 99-0158
Application 08/616,787
view of Greacen and Miller.
Reference is made to the appellant’s brief (Paper No. 25)
and to the examiner’s answer (Paper No. 26) for the respective
positions of the appellant and the examiner with regard to the
merits of these rejections.
Fields, the examiner’s primary reference, pertains to the
superplastic formation of various metal products. Of
particular interest is the subject matter depicted in Figure
3. As described by Fields,
FIGURE 3 shows apparatus for forming tubular
blank metal stock TB, having inner and outer
principal opposed surfaces TB and TB , respectively,1 2
into the expanded contour of die surface or shaping
member 20 formed in a die body 21. The shaping
member 20 is provided with vents or bleeds holes 22
in the female sections as described in connection
with FIGURES 1 and 2. One end of the tubular blank
metal TB, defining a first continuous edge thereof,
is clamped against the die body 21 and blocked
against fluid transmission by a plug member 23. The
opposite end of the tubular blank metal TB, defining
a second continuous edge thereof, is also clamped
against the die body 21 by a plug member 24, but
fluid communication therethrough is provided for the
introduction of a fluid pressure loading from a
suitable source (not shown) attached to conduit 25.
. . . It will be noted that the constrained two
separate continuous edges of the tubular blank TB
-3-
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Last modified: November 3, 2007