Appeal No. 1997-2248
Application No. 08/378,513
The invention relates to a method of making a composite
hand tool. Claim 9 is illustrative and reads as follows:
9. A method of making a composite hand tool structure
comprising the steps of: providing a gear insert having
an axis and an outer side surface with a plurality of
recesses formed therein, positioning the gear insert in a
mold cavity in a compression molding apparatus, preparing a
plurality of layers of a glass-fiber-reinforced plastic
material having the shape of the outline of the hand tool,
stacking the layers together to provide a mold charge,
positioning the mold charge in the mold cavity around the
insert, subjecting the mold charge to heat and pressure
in the compression molding apparatus for a predetermined
interval of time to form a composite hand tool structure
with the insert molded therein with the mold charge filling
the recesses, and mounting a ratchet mechanism in the insert
after formation of the composite hand tool structure.
The references relied upon by the examiner as evidence of
obviousness are:
Kipp 4,598,614 Jul. 8,
1986
Cooper 4,986,147 Jan. 22,
1991 Flonc et al. (Flonc) 5,080,851 Jan.
14, 1992
Bonnes et al. (Bonnes) 5,211,669 May
18, 1993
Pearson, British Patent Document 1,251,419 Oct. 27,
1971
Lucas, British Patent Document 2,018,179 Oct. 17,
1979
Claims 9 through 12, 14 through 18 and 20 stand rejected
under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as follows:
a) claims 9 through 12 as being unpatentable over Bonnes
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