Appeal No. 1999-2777
Application No. 08/985,835
relating to the size and shape of the spongy covering and the
funnel shaped receiving end of the external catheter, and
appellant's arguments on pages 9 and 10 of the brief, it is
apparent to us that the extra-labia urine voiding apparats of
Block which covers essentially all of the genitalia of the
female and the sealing structure thereof which provides a seal
against the external tissue surrounding the vulva region is
not anticipatory of the external catheter for attachment to
the urethra defined in appellant's claims 5, 7, 13 and 15 on
appeal. Specifically, even if the apparatus of Block which
covers all of the female genitalia can be said to include a
funnel shaped receiving end (e.g., 22) that is broadly sized
to encompass or contain the urethra, it is clear to us that
the urine voiding apparatus of Block does not include a spongy
covering attached to the funnel shaped receiving end for
sealing the area "immediately around the urethra," as set
forth in independent claim 5 on appeal. As for independent
claim 13 on appeal, we note that the apparatus of Block is not
a male external catheter and does not include an attachment
portion having "a funnel shaped receiving end dimensioned for
immediate surrounding engagement with the urethra of the
9
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