Appeal No. 2000-1582
Application 08/697,034
4 sheet finishes [which] are considered herein as
reflective mechanical finishes. . . . The No. 7 and No.
8 polished finishes of stainless steel are highly
reflective mechanical finishes, the No. 8 being the most
reflective finish commonly produced. The No. 7 and No. 8
are also considered herein as mirror finishes which are
both bright and reflective. The No. 8 finish utilizes a
buffing operation with a very fine buffing compound.
Chrome plating is applied on the No. 8 finish of series
304 stainless steel to prevent corrosion from propagating
therethrough.
In view of this disclosure, we construe the claim term
“mechanical finish” as a finish produced by a mechanical
process such as rolling, grinding, polishing and/or buffing.
However, we do not construe “mechanical finish” as being
limited to a finish on a metal part, contrary to what
appellant seems to assume (see brief, page 5, first four
lines), since non-metallic materials may also be ground,
polished, buffed, etc. Also, at page 10, lines 14 and 15 of
the specification, appellant specifically
discloses that the outer and reinforcing sheets may be made
out of non-metals, i.e., “[p]lastic, fiberglass, carbon fiber,
or polymer.”
Reading claim 1 on Hagiwara in light of the foregoing
5
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