Appeal No. 1998-3072 Page 10
Application No. 08/769,610
operating efficiency, and inhibiting power to a winding during
the determined periods, we are not persuaded that teachings
from the applied prior art would appear to have suggested the
claimed limitations of "said control circuit determining
periods of reduced magnetic coupling between the rotor and
stator during the cycle of applied power and inhibiting the
supply of power to said at least one winding during the
determined periods of reduced magnetic coupling"; "the control
circuit to determine periods of lower rotational torque during
the cycle of applied power ... and for inhibiting the supply
of power to the at least one winding during the determined
periods of lower rotational torque"; or "determining periods
of reduced operating efficiency during each cycle of applied
power ... and inhibiting the application of power to all of
the winding means during at least part of that segment of each
cycle of applied power when reduced operating
efficiency would otherwise result ...." The examiner fails to
establish a prima facie case of obviousness. Therefore, we
reverse the rejection of claims 1, 23-25, and 75 under 35
U.S.C. § 103 as obvious over Ohi in view of Plunkett and
Uchiyama and of claims 2-5, 7-14, and 76 under § 103 as
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