Appeal No. 1998-0649 Page 5
Application No. 08/309,323
the examiner’s analysis of Ruchser and its application to the
instant claimed invention.
However, claim 1 also requires that the “housing chamber
is connected via a connecting device to said pressure relief
device.” The examiner contends that the housing chamber
holding electrical component 82 is, indeed, connected via a
connecting device, 64 and 44, to the pressure relief device.
For his part, appellant argues that the unlabeled chamber
holding element 82 is not connected to the pressure relief
device at all because while conduit 64 may lead to working
chamber 72, this chamber is separated from the unlabeled
chamber by stepped piston 76, as well as by sliding means 80.
The examiner contends that the unlabeled chamber, together with
working chambers 72 and 74 may be considered one housing
chamber, with the pistons being part of the electrical
equipment therein. While we would agree with appellant that it
is not reasonable to consider pistons 76 and 78 as “electrical
equipment,” since they are clearly mechanical components, the
pistons are merely other elements within the chamber which
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