Appeal No. 1997-2215
Application 08/332,058
means limitation of the claim under 35 U.S.C. § 112, sixth
paragraph. According to appellants' specification the
switching means is the flexible elongated arm 82c of the crank
lever 82 and slidable member 80 which bears on the flexible
crank arm via projection 80b and pin 82a. Accordingly, we
construe the switching means of claim 18 to be two pivoting
levers one of which has built-in flexibility or resiliency and
the equivalents thereof.
Turning to a consideration of Tanaka, the specification
makes clear that it is lens barrel 8 that moves aperture
masking plates 2 and 4 into the panoramic position by
translation against the plates which pivot about axes 2a and
4a as pins 12 and 14 are cammed along the surface of
projections 22 and 24. The aperture masking plates are held
in panoramic position by pins 12 and 14. Thus, it can be seen
that the member that moves both of the exposure aperture
masking plates simultaneously toward the panoramic size
position is the lens barrel and not two pivoting levers as we
have construed claim 18 to require. Consequently, claim 18 is
not anticipated by the Tanaka reference.
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