Appeal No. 1999-1912
Application No. 08/730,724
prestressed to an open position mounted on the end of an
axially displaceable spreader bar 20. As explained on page 19
of the translation, when the spreader bar is moved to the
right the bushing opens to accept a locking pin 69 carried by
the tapered shank. With the tapered shank inserted into the
bushing, the spreader bar is moved to the left, causing
fingers of the bushing to be cammed inwardly by camming lugs
(not numbered) of hollow shaft 16. As a result, the locking
pin 69 is gripped by the bushing and the tapered shank is
drawn into the conically shaped recess to firmly hold the saw
blade holder.
In rejecting claims 3, 4, 6 and 15-18, the examiner has
found that Rudolf teaches a fast-fit tool holder connecting
means comprising “a gripper (46), a conical surface (Fig. 2 at
48), a projecting element (108), a tie (46, 50) stressed by
elastic means (58, 60), [and] a first and second bush (90,
96)” (answer, page 4). According to the examiner, it would
have been obvious
to one of ordinary skill in the art (1) to replace the
unillustrated saw connection of Suzuki with a connecting means
of the type shown by Rudolf, and (2) to replace Suzuki’s
6
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Last modified: November 3, 2007