Appeal No. 2001-1280
Application No. 07/977,163
page 5 of appellant's specification, a blind-spot may be inward
(closer to the vehicle relative to the area visible in the
conventional rearview mirror) or outward (further from the
vehicle relative to the visible area). In accordance with
appellant's definition in the specification, a "blind-spot" as
used in appellant's claims is sufficiently broad to include
inward or outward areas which are not visible to a driver in the
conventional rear-view mirror.
While much of the argument in appellant's brief is directed
to the orientation of the wedge-shaped support and the principal-
reflector-surface mirror relative to the conventional rearview
mirror (i.e., the thin edge of the wedge being closer to the
vehicle than the wide edge so as to direct the principal-
reflector-surface mirror inward toward the vehicle), there is no
such limitation in claim 16. Rather, claim 16 merely requires
two mirrors, with one of the mirrors supported on the other
mirror by means of a wedge-shaped support structure. From our
perspective, any orientation of the wedge would fall within the
scope of claim 16.
Lawson discloses a side view mirror assembly 1 which is
attached through an arm or bracket 2 to the side of a vehicle 3.
The mirror assembly includes a housing 4, a flat mirror 5 and a
7
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