Appeal No. 2000-0408
Application No. 08/917,480 Page 5
The wing panel includes elevons 4, rudders 5 for producing
unilateral drag at the wing tips and landing flaps 6.
We agree with the appellant (see Brief, pp. 6-8) that the
subject matter of claims 1-20 is not anticipated by Ashkenas. In
that regard, Ashkenas does not disclose every limitation of the
claimed invention, either explicitly or inherently.
Specifically, Ashkenas does not disclose the "control surface
reconfiguration system" as recited in claims 1-10, the
"reconfiguration means" as recited in claims 11-18, or the
"reconfiguring" step as recited in claims 19 and 20 since
Ashkenas does not specifically teach or disclose that his control
surfaces (i.e., the elevons 4, the rudders 5 and the landing
flaps 6) are selectively reconfigurable to a plurality of
predetermined positions as required to optimize the spanwise
force distribution across the wing for each of a plurality of
different flight configurations. The examiner's reliance (see
Answer, pp. 3-4) on the basic elements of flight and/or the
knowledge of one skilled in the art is misplaced in this instance
since the rejection is under 35 U.S.C. § 102, not under 35 U.S.C.
§ 103.
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Next
Last modified: November 3, 2007