Appeal No. 1999-0296 Page 16
Application No. 08/483,552
camera substantially parallel, and adjusting disparity while
adjusting distance to a target.’ These limitations are simply
not shown by the references.” (Reply Br. at 10.)
Claim 5 specifies in pertinent part the following
limitations: “maintaining the optical axes of a left camera
and of a right camera substantially parallel,” and “adjusting
disparity while adjusting distance to a target object to avoid
loss of stereo effect.”
The prior art would have suggested the limitations.
“FIG. 2 of [Robinson’s] drawings shows diagrammatically a
stereo-camera ....” Col. 3, ll. 21-22. It further shows that
the stereo-camera includes left and right cameras (22). “The
cameras 22 are provided with a means of mechanical alignment
to enable accurate registration of the two camera images to be
achieved.” Id. at ll. 40-42. Figure 2, also, shows that the
cameras are disposed in parallel. Disposing the cameras in
parallel, moreover, maintains the optical axes thereof in
parallel. Because Robinson shows its cameras as disposed in
parallel, we are persuaded that the reference discloses the
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