Appeal No. 2000-1487 Page 2
Application No. 08/786,373
BACKGROUND
The appellant's invention relates to a trailer step which facilitates access to the load
being carried on the trailer, and which includes a lamp. Representative claim 1 reads as
follows:
1. In a trailer adapted for connection to a towing vehicle and
having a front, a side, and a step for facilitating access to the
trailer or a load being carried by the trailer, the step having an
upper horizontal surface and a vertical skirt portion facing
outwardly from the trailer, the improvement comprising:
means forming indicia to be displayed carried by said
outwardly facing skirt portion of said step for visual
observation of said means forming indicia from the side and
front of said trailer, and
a lamp positioned behind said means forming indicia to
backlight said means forming indicia carried by said outwardly
facing skirt portion of said step to project light outwardly from
1
the front and the sides of said trailer through said means
forming indicia to enable observation of said trailer step and
means forming indicia from the towing vehicle when said
trailer is parked and in motion being towed behind the towing
vehicle.
The examiner relied upon the following prior art references of record in rejecting the
appealed claims:
Rubin 3,935,654 Feb. 3, 1976
Koch 5,154,564 Oct. 13, 1992
Chudzik 5,157,591 Oct. 20, 1992
Barry 5,615,940 Apr. 1, 1997
Lamparter 5,634,287 Jun. 3, 1997
1It appears that “sides” should be “side,” as the light associated with the sole step and associated
skirt portion and lamp recited in claim 1 is projected outwardly only from the front and one side of the trailer,
not from both sides of the trailer.
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