Appeal No. 1997-1331
Application 08/289,679
the provision of a plurality of switches. Thus, each of the
independent claims on appeal call for a pair of continuous
uninterrupted electrical conductors having insulation thereon.
The examiner considers that Ward discloses a gas burner
manifold assembly substantially as claimed except for
“conductors or lead[s] passing continuously through the
housing with the contacts piercing the insulation of the
conductors to make contact [therewith]” (answer, page 4). The
examiner further considers that Munroe discloses “line
switches in which the leads 66 and 68 are continuous and
uninterrupted as they lead up to and away from the switch”
(answer, page 7). Based on the above, the examiner concludes
that it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in
the art “to apply the teachings of Munroe to Ward to have the
continuous conductors [of Munroe?] pass through the housing
[of Ward?] to be pierced by the contacts because both Munroe
and Ward set up types of line switches in which plural
switches are placed in parallel using parallel leads ”
(answer, page 5).
In the “response to argument” section of the answer, the
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