Appeal No. 2000-2006
Application No. 09/027,173
discloses a tarpaulin including a sheet (2), a plurality of
elastic straps or cords (e.g., 4) and a reinforcing webbing
(3) which extends around the perimeter of the sheet. In
addition, Hansen discloses (col. 7, line 62 - col. 8, line 12)
the use of safety reflective means secured to the tarp, for
example, on one or more of the coverings (11), to increase the
visibility of the tarpaulin at night or in low visibility
conditions such as inclement weather. In the examiner's view,
the tarpaulin of Hansen does not incorporate a retroreflective
sheeting onto the reinforcing
webbing or provide a teaching that the sheet can be attached
to the vehicle with non-elastic straps and buckles.
To account for these differences between the tarpaulin of
Hansen and the claimed subject matter, the examiner turns to
the teachings of Tolliver and Jones. The examiner sees in
Tolliver a teaching of a tarpaulin or truck trailer cover
which has a retroreflective sheeting (46) incorporated onto a
perimeter of a sheet (40), and in Jones a teaching of a
tarpaulin sheeting employing non-elastic straps (20, 30, 40)
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