Appeal No. 1997-4050
Application 08/535,317
Only claims 9 and 10 require that the second force field is
an electrostatic field. We agree with the examiner that one of
ordinary skill in the art recognized at the time the invention was
made that
electrostatic and magnetic force fields could be used to
manipulate the relationship between two objects. This is
evidenced by Henrion, which uses electrostatic fields, and
Hulsing, which utilizes magnetic fields. Because Henrion’s
apparatus utilizes electrostatic fields produced by voltage
energized plates such as 90’ in Figure 13, one of ordinary skill
in the art desiring to add a caging function to the apparatus to
hold mass 36 in a fixed position to avoid damage to the apparatus
would have utilized such voltage energized plates because such
structures are already present in the Henrion apparatus. To
utilize a magnetic force field in Henrion would have involved
adding magnetic field producing coils such as 52, 57 taught by
Hulsing, significantly modifying Henrion’s structure.
10
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