Appeal No. 2000-0653
Application No. 08/960,433
bracket and a thrust bearing having a surface facing an end of
said shaft, said thrust bearing having a first kinetic
pressure generating groove on a surface thereof which faces
said end of said shaft; the improvement comprising, inter
alia, a clearance supporting means that provides a clearance
of several µm between the end of the shaft and the thrust
bearing surface when the shaft is rotating, and wherein the
clearance supporting means comprises a first ball inserting
groove formed on one surface of the thrust bearing and said
end of the shaft, and a ball inserted into the first ball
inserting groove.
We turn now to the evidence of obviousness.
The patent to Kameyama is clearly a highly relevant prior
art teaching with respect to the kinetic pressure fluid
bearing apparatus now being claimed. Having said that
however, as recognized by the examiner, the Kameyama patent
clearly lacks a ball inserting groove and inserted ball as now
claimed. As articulated in the rejection, the noted
deficiency in the Kameyama disclosure is asserted by the
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