Appeal No. 1998-3286
Application 08/233,914
hardened spring steel coiled into a circular shaped body with
a frusto-conical configuration having an inner diameter and an
outer diameter wherein said strip has two free ends, the
coiled spring steel body having a rest condition with said
free ends spaced to provide a gap therebetween and a joined
condition in which said body is in tension, said free ends
being coplanar in said joined condition, and means for
releasably holding said free ends together in said joined
condition against the tension of said spring steel body.
The references applied in the final rejection are:
Philion 438,822 Oct. 21,
1890
Astle 1,248,473 Oct. 6,
1971
(Great Britain)
Claims 1, 4, 6, 8 and 9 stand finally rejected under 35
U.S.C. § 103(a) as unpatentable over Astle in view of Philion.
The examiner states the basis of the rejection on page 2
of the final rejection as follows (spelling of "Philion"
corrected):
Astle teaches the claimed invention except for
forming the spring having a rest condition with the
free ends spaced and a joined condition in which the
spring is in tension. Philion teaches a hoop with
coplanar interlocking free ends made of spring-
tempered metal that is formed with a rest condition
where the free ends are spaced and a joined
condition [where] the ends interlock coplanarly and
hold the ends securely. See Figs 4 and 5 and the
related text on page 1, lines 60-71 of Philion. It
2
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