Appeal No. 2001-0180
Application No. 08/887,421
37 CFR § 1.192(c)(7) we have selected representative claim 17
and shall decide the appeal on the basis of this claim alone.
Hence, claims 1, 2, 4 through 6 and 8 stand or fall with claim
17.
II. The merits of the rejection
Curcio discloses “an inflatable raft upon which a motor
vehicle can be driven when the raft is in a collapsed
condition, the raft being then inflatable to support the motor
vehicle on the surface of a body of water” (column 1, lines 20
through 24). The reference describes the embodiment shown in
Figures 1 through 6 in the following words:
there is shown a raft 20 formed by a casing made of
an inflatable gas-tight hermetically sealed material
such as rubber, plastic, or the like. The raft
includes an outer ring 24 enclosing a generally
rectangular well 22. The raft has a forward
narrower end 26 and a wide curved rear end 28. The
well 22 is further defined by a floor or platform
30. This floor is hollow as clearly shown in FIGS.
4-6 and is integral with the casing wall 24. Two
wide rectangular openings 32 are provided at the
corners of the forward end of the floor and two
narrower openings 34 are provided near the corners
of the rear end of the floor. The rear openings
have obliquely disposed lower walls 36 and 38 as
best shown in FIG. 5. The forward openings have
obliquely disposed lower walls 40 and 42. A valve
44 is provided on the flat top of casing wall 24 by
means of which air, carbon dioxide or other gas can
be passed under pressure into the raft for inflating
it. Straps 46 and buckles or loops 48 are secured
4
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