Appeal No. 1998-2899
Application No. 08/632,687
grooves to escape. In fact, Fellows teaches that the grooves
26 are arranged like grooves 10b in Figure 1 (col. 4, ll. 31,
32) and that circumferential grooves 10b in Figure 1 are 6 mm
wide (col. 2, l. 67) and “typically located 25 mms from the
ends of the tube 10 and at about 30 cms spacing along the
length of the tube 10" (col. 2, ll. 59-66). 3
In light of the specification and the arguments made in
the brief, we understand the language “a means extending
substantially across a length of the cylinder for connecting
an interface of the cylinder and the printing sleeve to a low
pressure region” as requiring the “means” to be unbroken or
continuous across the length of the cylindrical interface
between the cylinder and the printing sleeve such that all
trapped air in the interface will necessarily encounter the
“means” as the cylinder is rotated 360N.
In rejecting claims under 35 U.S.C. § 103, the examiner
bears the initial burden of presenting a prima facie case of
3Six (6) mm is approximately ¼ inches and 30 cm is
approximately 12 inches.
7
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