Appeal No. 1999-0641 Page 4
Application No. 08/536,654
adjacent the driving shaft (5) (translation, page 5, lines 3-6, and the sentence bridging pages 5
and 6). Additionally, a spring (10) is disposed inside the hub to bias the hub, and hence the
fixed pin (9) and driven shaft (7), to the right as shown in Figures 1 and 2, to apply a coupling
force. In order to release the coupling of the driven shaft (7) to the hub (body 1), the hub is
pushed toward the driving shaft (5) away from the driven shaft (7). It is clear from the Naitou
title ("Simple Type Detachable Universal Joint") and disclosure that this detachable feature is
one of the objectives of Naitou's invention (translation, page 3, lines 1-14, and page 6, lines 6-
12).
The examiner implicitly concedes that Naitou lacks the hub (body 1) being "rigidly
connected" to the first rotating member (driven shaft 7), but takes the position that
[r]igidly connecting the hub 1 to the rotating member 7 would prevent removal
of the rotating member from the hub and thereby ensure that torque is
transmitted through the coupling. It would have been obvious for one of
ordinary skill at the time the invention was made to rigidly connect the rotating
member to the hub of Naitou so [sic: as] to ensure that torque is transmitted
through the coupling and prevent removal of the rotating member from the hub
[answer, page 4].
The appellant (brief, page 4) argues that the modification proposed by the examiner
would destroy two important features of Naitou's invention, the detachable feature and the
ability of the shaft (7) to move with respect to the body (1) as provided by the rounded corners
(R ). We agree with the appellant. As discussed above, the Naitou disclosure emphasizes
1
repeatedly the importance of the shaft (7) being detachable from the body (1). Additionally, the
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