Appeal No. 2000-0531
Application No. 08/782,151
a fitting 11 by applying adhesive to the outer surface of the tubing, placing the fitting over the
tubing and directing hot air from a gun onto the fitting to heat shrink the fitting over the section
of tubing (col. 3, lines 3-14). We also note that Benson points out that a fracture of a length of
tubing may be repaired by uniting the parts of the tubing on each side of the fracture to a fitting
such as a short length of tubing in accordance with the invention (col. 2, lines 50-53).
The examiner takes the position that a reasonable inference that one would draw from
Benson is that any member that is capable of being shrunk by the application of heat is capable
of being joined to another member via a "shrink-fit" (answer, page 8) and thus concludes that
one of ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious to modify the prior art fire hose-
fitting method by applying an adhesive to the fitting (coupling) and then heat shrinking the hose
onto the fitting or, in the alternative, heat shrinking the hose onto the fitting prior to clamping
the hose thereto, in order to obtain a better connection (answer, pages 5-6). As for the step of
wrapping the fire hose with a heating apparatus, the examiner contends that one of ordinary
skill in the art would have found it obvious to heat the hose with any known device used to
heat a tubular member and, thus, concludes that it would have been obvious to such a person to
use the known heating apparatus discussed on page 4, lines 10-15, of the specification to heat
the fire hose (answer, page 6). The examiner considers the exact temperature to which the
hose is heated to be a matter of engineering design choice, since such temperature is dependent
upon the material of the hose and would be determined without undue experimentation.
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