Appeal No. 1999-1523 Page 7
Application No. 08/839,065
wherein said first, second and third load bearing members
are arranged in a generally triangular arrangement (see Figure
1 of Rensch wherein girders 3E, 3F and 3I are shown in a
triangular arrangement) such that a load along one of the
beams is transferred along at least one of said load bearing
members (a load along one of the beams (e.g., a load applied
from the right in Figure 1 of Rensch) is inherently
transferred along at least one of the load bearing members
(i.e., girders 3E, 3F and 3I)).
The appellant's arguments concerning claim 1 (brief, pp.
6-7, and reply brief, pp. 1-2) are unpersuasive for the
following reasons. First, claim 1 is anticipated by Rensch
since claim 1 "reads on" Rensch as set forth above. Second,
claim 1 is directed to the connector per se and not the
combination of the connector, a first beam and a second beam.
Third, we do not agree with the appellant's position (brief,
p. 6) that it is not proper to read Rensch's girders and
junction elements as both a "connector" and a "beam." Lastly,
while Rensch's framework shown in Figure 1 might not actually
be subjected to lateral loads (e.g., from the right in Figure
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