Appeal No. 2000-0916 Page 10
Application No. 08/907,965
fault in vehicle steering equipment and not actuated when
there is no fault in vehicle steering equipment.
Additionally, we agree with the appellants' argument
(brief, pp. 19-21) that there is no disclosure in Yasuno of
any steering control means for controlling the steerable
wheels as a function of a desired steering angle signal as
recited in claims 1 and 13 (i.e., Yasuno does not disclose a
steer-by-wire system). Furthermore, in our view, the
examiner's apparent position (answer, p. 4) that the
limitations concerning the steering control means recited in
lines 2-3 of claim 13 are not entitled to weight since they
"are recited in the preamble of the claim in a 'for' clause"
is without merit. Clearly, claim 13 requires the method step
of "applying selectively different braking forces to the
vehicle wheels" to be performed on a motor vehicle having at
least two steerable wheels wherein the setting of the position
of the wheels in order to produce a steering response is
carried out by steering control means as a function of a
desired steering angle signal.
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