Appeal No. 2001-2205
Application 09/228,987
closest to the patient is securable to the patient covering (30)
by mating strips of hook and loop material. The doctor’s edge
(16) of the apron is securable to the doctor’s medical garb by
hook and loop fasteners and also to the doctor by a flexible
fabric tie (17). As is evident from Figure 3, the apron forms a
sheet-like work surface between the patient and the doctor to be
used by the doctor for holding and supporting instruments, etc.,
during the surgical procedure.
According to the examiner, the apron (10) of Sosebee is
readable as appellant’s surgical garment to be worn by a surgeon
and the patient covering (30) therein is readable as the pliable
wrap member for a limb of the patient. In the examiner’s view,
the covering (30) is capable of being on a limb by wrapping the
limb with the member (30) and tying edges of the member together.
The examiner further urges that the members (10) and (30) in
Sosebee each have pressure sensitive surfaces engaging each other
(Fig. 4) and opines that the members are inherently capable of
permitting affixing of the patient’s limb in a plurality of
positions on the surgical apron for careful manipulation of the
joint by the surgeon. Concerning the preamble language of claim
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