Appeal No. 2001-2205
Application 09/228,987
in the limb and swelling, due to the compressive, elastic quality
of the wrap member (supplemental answer, pages 10-11), we do not
share that view.
As described and shown by Johnson in Figure 1, the member
(10) is merely a support for the wrist and, to that end, is
constructed of an elastic fabric webbing (30) with strips of
VELCRO fastener material (32, 34) secured to opposite end edges
thereof “to form a cylindrical support which wraps about the
wrist and forearm” (col.4, lines 19-23). The elastic nature of
the support in Johnson is specifically described (col. 4, lines
34-38) as merely providing a “slight degree of stretch” and as
facilitating normal body movement while preventing release of the
fastener material (34) from the belt (4). Given its
construction, it does not appear to us that the wrist support
(10) of Johnson would be capable of being wrapped on a patient’s
limb and secured so as to constrict or restrict the size of the
limb to avoid pooling of blood and liquid in the limb and to
thereby avoid swelling, as is urged by the examiner. The
examiner’s conclusion in this regard is unsupported by the
Johnson reference and is based entirely on speculation and
conjecture.
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