Appeal No. 1999-2131 Page 16
Application No. 08/971,504
The appellants' claims 1-74 are directed to a drill bit
and, in general, three types of bearing elements or thrust
washers:
1) a thrust washer having an inside diametric clearance
greater than the outside diametric clearance as recited in
claims 25-40 or which floats and locks depending on the load
condition as recited in claims 49-58 and 65-74,
2) a broadly recited bearing element, that is apparently
either fixed or floating, made of a material having a yield
strength of less than 120,000 psi (claims 44-48 and 59-64),
and
3) a "floating" bearing element of a material having a yield
strength of less than 120,000 psi (claims 1-24 and 41-43).
With respect to group 1), the appellants' claims 25-40,
49-58 and 65-74, the examiner should review Fig. 2 of Drake's
disclosure wherein the inside circumferential portion of
thrust washer (86) is shown as spaced from main body portion
(50) and the exterior circumferential portion of thrust washer
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