Appeal No. 1996-1300
Application No. 08/076,722
whereby lever 30 is rotated counterclockwise and "causes a
protrusion 6 at a central portion of the open lever 5 to push
an end portion 7 of the release lever 3... and the door is
opened" (col. 4, lines 13-22). Thereafter, figures 3 and 4
are described wherein "the door is locked to prevent the door
from being opened by carelessness during the running of the
vehicle" (col. 4, lines 24-26). "[W]hen the locking button 8
is pushed out and the locking arm 9 is turned clockwise... the
open lever 5 is moved around pin 10 in the direction of arrow
C (FIG. 1), and said protrusion 6 is released from the end
portion 7 of the release lever 3 as shown in FIG. 3. As a
result, even if the handle is operated and the open lever 5 is
moved downwardly, it moves idly without protrusion 6 abutting
end portion 7, so that the lock remains in the locked
condition as shown in FIG. 4" (col. 4, lines 33-43).
We note that the manual locking lever (Fukumoto's lever
30) rotates about axis 31 between locking and unlocking
positions. Fukumoto provides that the unlocking position may
be disabled as shown in figures 3 and 4. However, even in the
disabled position of figures 3 and 4, Fukumoto's lever 30 is
free to rotate about axis 31 between the locking and unlocking
9
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