Appeal No. 1997-3709
Application 08/582,034
body is tapered in the manner claimed. However, Soltis
expressly recognizes at page 3, lines 48-54, that the
invention is not limited to the air passageway shapes shown in
Figures 3 and 4, but that
any configuration of the walls of a rotor or disk
which provides a heat sinking mass for balancing the
mass and heat sinking effect of the rotor or disk
mounting structure in order to reduce radial
temperature gradients within the rotor or disk falls
within the ambit of the invention.
Consistent with the above, Soltis discloses at Figures 6-
9 several embodiments of solid (unvented) brake rotors. These
include (1) a non-uniformly thermally balanced version (Figure
7) wherein the added mass at the radial outer location of the
rotor that counteracts uneven temperature distribution is
provided only on the side of the rotor nearer to the hat
section 82, and (2) a uniformly thermally balanced version
(Figure 8) wherein the added mass at the radial outer location
of the rotor that counteracts uneven temperature distribution
is provided on both sides of the rotor. As explained by
Soltis at page 4, lines 92 through page 5, line 2, one of the
reasons for uniformly thermally balancing the Figure 8 version
is that the rotor thereof is a more symmetric structure
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