Appeal No. 2001-2543
Application No. 09/225,892
includes a pocket member (710) either permanently or removably
attached to a tank belt (320) and a pouch member (740) for
receiving the one or more weight members. The pouch member is to
be carried in the pocket member and includes a quick release
handle (754) to allow a person, other than the diver, to remove
the pouch member and weights carried therein when the diver is
finished with his or her underwater travels. It is repeatedly
emphasized in appellants' specification that the weight member or
members must be positioned on the cylinder exactly opposite the
diver so that the diver is unable to gain access to the one or
more weight members and remove or release them during his or her
underwater travels. See particularly page 64, lines 6-21, for an
indication of the critical nature of the positioning of the
weight members so that they cannot be dropped in an emergency
situation. Independent claims 1 and 21 are representative of the
subject matter on appeal and a copy of those claims may be found
in the Appendix to appellants' brief (Paper No. 15).
The prior art references of record relied upon by the
examiner in rejecting the appealed claims are:
Finnern 4,455,718 Jun. 26, 1984
Eylander 5,076,575 Dec. 31, 1991
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