Appeal No. 98-1287
Application 08/359,706
The examiner refers to Shoemaker as showing that “it is well known in the measuring art to
obtain the center of the target thereby resulting in accurate alignment between the light source and the
target.” (Answer, page 5.) Shoemaker discloses a laser target system for use in the alignment of pipes.
A laser device 20 (Fig. 1) generates a beam 201 that propagates through the longitudinal axis within a
pipe, striking a target apparatus 10. The target apparatus comprises a rectangular target member 20
(Fig. 6), made of a transparent dielectric material, and having indicia of horizontal and vertical lines 23.
The laser beam spot is visible on the dielectric material, whereby one may align the pipe by adjusting
the pipe such that the laser spot falls upon the center of the target.
However, we consider Shoemaker as merely a cumulative reference in the present rejection.
Wells discloses, in Fig. 3, a surveying instrument system including an instrument 30 from which a laser
emanates through pinhole 33 towards instrument 20. A servomechanism within instrument 20 may
automatically align the instrument 20 by centering laser target image 29 on CCD device 47. (Figs. 4a
through 4c; column 8, line 55 through column 9, line 1.) This portion of Wells’ disclosure is clearly
more pertinent to appellants’ invention than that of Shoemaker. Although not mentioned in the
examiner’s rejection, the examiner does note the centering disclosure of Wells in the response to
arguments, on pages 12 and 16 of the Answer.
Wells also discloses that, in the alternative of using two separate instruments, the system may be
used in a single instrument with light reflected from a target. (Column 6, lines 58 through 64.) Thus,
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