Appeal No. 2001-2004 Page 7
Application No. 08/956,715
group of materials produces similar results (column 17, lines 40-42), but none of those
base materials is metallic, much less silver (see column 16, lines 47-60).
Figure 20 shows an enlarged view of an alternative embodiment of the invention
of Figure 19 where indentations are formed in the outer surface 2003 of first base
material 2004. Previously, with reference to Figure 9A, it was explained that
indentations scatter the sonic beam to produce another desirable component of the
image (column 9, lines 25-27). As was the case with the embodiment of Figure 19,
Bosley teaches with regard to Figure 20 that member 2001 “includes an outer surface
2003 which has been bombarded in a vacuum chamber environment with argon ions to
reduce the coefficient of friction and to bring the surface energy of the outer surface
within the range of 20 to 30 dynes per centimeter” (column 17, lines 58-62). Bosley
goes on to explain, however, that an additional layer, interface layer 2005, which can
include silver, is “deposited on outer surface 2003,” and that the resulting coefficient of
friction now becomes “approximately 0.184” (column 17, lines 58-68). Thus, while
Bosley teaches treating the outer surfaces 1903 and 2003 of the polyurethane or
silicone rubber base materials 1904 and 2004 in such a manner as to provide them with
a surface energy of 20 to 30 dynes per centimeter, the layer of silver 2005 that is
applied over surface 2003 is not so treated, as is apparent from the explanation, as well
as the fact that the coefficient of friction that results on the silver coating is greater than
that of the uncoated base material. It is noteworthy that in the Figures 15 and 16, which
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