Appeal No. 1998-2512 Page 9
Application No. 08/618,593
means and an output drum arranged sequentially in the direction
of from one of the opposite ends to the other, rotatable gear
trains drivingly interconnecting the plurality of spring
motors, and control gear means in meshing interengagement with
at least one of the gears in the gear trains. Kuhar discloses
a plurality of spring motors working in unison (Figure 3) by
virtue of being interconnected through a common bar (62). They
are not, however, interconnected by means of gear trains, nor
does the disclosed system include control gear means in meshing
interengagement with a gear of the gear train, as required by
claim 39. The examiner has presented no evidence in support of
his conclusion that it would have been obvious to substitute
the claimed gear arrangement for the bar disclosed by Kuhar.
In the absence of such evidence, and in view of the fact that
Kuhar already has solved the problem of coordinating the
operation of multiple spring motors by the system disclosed in
the patent, we fail to perceive any suggestion to make such a
modification other than by way of hindsight.
As with the rejection as applied to the other independent
claims, it is our opinion that a prima facie case of
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