Appeal No. 2001-1527
Application No. 08/753,265
A. Findings of fact
The record supports the following findings by at least a
preponderance of the evidence.2
The invention
Appellants’ invention relates to a method of forming a drum
head membrane from a polymer sheet. (Specification at 1, l. 4.)
More specifically, a polymer sheet is inserted into a mold; the
sheet is then heated, and the center of the sheet is cooled so
the periphery of the sheet is maintained at a higher temperature
than the center section; the sheet is then formed into a drum
head. (Id. at 3, ll. 19–26.) The center of the sheet comprises
the battering surface and the peripheral collar forms a structure
to which various tensioning devices may be attached to hold the
battering surface at the desired degree of tension. (Id. at 2,
ll. 20–24.) According to Appellants, their method provides
easier tuning, particularly at lower pitches, compared to prior
art drum heads. (Id. at 6, l. 29, to 7, l. 1.)
2 To the extent these findings of fact discuss legal issues, they may be treated as conclusions of law.
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