Appeal No. 1999-1756
Application No. 08/499,100
claim 1 (as reproduced in the appendix of Paper No. 20) is the
spherical outer surface of the collar and the "spherical
surfaces" referred to in line 12 of claim 1 are the spherical
surfaces of the clamshells.
With this understanding of claim 1 in mind, we turn to
the prior art relied upon by the examiner in rejecting claim
1. Herrick discloses a vectoring nozzle comprising a collar
portion 14 having a spherical external surface, a gimbal ring
22 disposed about the collar and including two opposed gimbal
pivots 24, 26 for supporting the gimbal ring relative to the
nozzle static structure 28 and upper and lower clamshells 34,
36 supported on the gimbal ring for independent pivotal
movement about a common axis 38 oriented both perpendicular to
the gimbal axis 30 and transverse to the nozzle center line
40. The nozzle is provided with arcuate seals 72, 74 disposed
between the clamshell spherical surfaces 68, 70 and the collar
spherical surface 16 for preventing the flow of exhaust gas 6
therebetween. According to Herrick, the seals 72, 74 may be
relatively simple in design, such as piston rings or spring
seals (col. 3, lines 62-66).
5
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next
Last modified: November 3, 2007