Appeal No. 2001-0472 Page 5
Application No. 09/153,951
We find ourselves in agreement with the position of the
examiner that the above-noted phrase is not inherent from the
original disclosure. While the claimed grooves are inherently
"less than the first length" for the reasons set forth by the
appellants, the claimed grooves are not inherently "at least
one half of the predetermined length" for the reasons set
forth by the examiner. In that regard, it is our
determination that Figure 2 shows that the relative movement
between the moveable mass 110 and the cylindrical surface 112
is not limited to the distance the mass can move when the
balls move from one end of their respective groove to the
other end of their respective groove. That is, the mass can
still move after the balls have reached either end of their
respective grooves. Thus, we find that the claimed grooves
are not inherently "at least one half of the predetermined
length."
For the reasons set forth above, the decision of the
examiner to reject claim 22 under 35 U.S.C. § 112, first
paragraph, is affirmed.
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Next
Last modified: November 3, 2007