Ex parte DUESTERHOEFT et al. - Page 10




          Appeal No. 1997-3403                                                       
          Application No. 08/032,889                                                 


          the Examiner and find ourselves persuaded by the Examiner’s                
          reasoning.  We find that barrier member 40 of Rodrigues serves             
          as a grommet and acts as a barrier to moisture getting into                
          the enclosure 10, see Summary of the Invention.  Figures 4 and             
          5 of Rodrigues show the structure recited in claim 1, as the               
          Examiner has pointed out above.  Members 46 and 48 constitute              
          the deflectable portions, a part of 48 is the frangible                    
          section joining the diaphragm section and the deflectable                  
          portions.  Thus, when a cable 30 is inserted along the line                
          “l” through the barrier member 40 into the enclosure 10, the               
          frangible membrane 48 is pierced, though only at the point of              
          entry, and the deflectable members 46 as well as the membrane              
          48 close against the cable so that moisture is sealed out from             
          getting into the enclosure, as happens in the claimed grommet.             
          Therefore, we sustain the obviousness rejection of claim 1,                
          and its grouped claims 5, 9, 14 and 15  over Smith and                     
          Rodrigues.                                                                 
               Claims 2, 6 and 10                                                    
               We consider claim 2 as representative of this group.  The             
          Examiner again combines Smith and Rodrigues.  We note that                 
          Smith shows a resilient member 88 with a slit 90.  The                     
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