Appeal No. 1998-1878 Page 12
Application No. 08/543,734
In addition, the handle control “is designed and located
so that the functions to be controlled are sense oriented”
(col. 1, lines 22-24). To this end Schultz teaches that
[t]he mounting bracket 52 is located at a bias to
the longitudinal axis of the truck, the vertical
portion 56 thereof being formed to extend forwardly
and downwardly so that the handle control portion
62,68,70 is designed to be located at its most
convenient and comfortable position in the
operator's compartment. Manual control is effected
whether operating the truck in a forward or rearward
direction by movement of the handle control along
the downward tilt and inward bias of shaft 60; this
provides good operator "sense" control as the handle
is actuated forwardly, downwardly and inwardly, or
rearwardly, upwardly and outwardly along shaft 60 to
control the various hydraulic functions of the lift
truck . . . [col. 2, line 63 through col. 3, line
9].
The examiner describes Habiger as disclosing all of the
limitations of the claims, except for the environment of a
powered industrial lift truck (final rejection, page 4;
answer, page 4). Schultz is cited to show the lift truck
environment (id.). It is the examiner’s position (answer,
page 4) that
[i]t would have been obvious . . . to modify Habiger
such that the single lever control was installed in
a lift truck in view of the teaching of Schultz et
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