Appeal No. 2002-0394 Page 2
Application No. 09/169,074
BACKGROUND
The appellants’ invention relates to a highback for gliding sports. As explained
on page 1 of appellants’ specification, a “highback” is used with snowboard binding
systems for soft snowshoe boots and typically includes an upright member that
supports the rear lower portion of a rider’s leg to act as a lever that helps transmit
forces to and from the board. As the stiffness of the highback increases, force
transmission increases, resulting in more responsive board control. Conversely, as the
stiffness of the highback decreases, force transmission decreases, resulting in less
responsive board control. Riders may prefer a degree of adjustability in the highback
stiffness for achieving a desirable balance between various highback characteristics
(specification, page 2). Thus, an object of appellants’ invention is to provide an
improved highback having stiffness adjustability (specification, page 2). A copy of the
claims under appeal is set forth in the appendix to the appellants’ brief.
The examiner relied upon the following prior art references of record in rejecting
the appealed claims:
Hanson et al. (Hanson) 3,945,135 Mar. 23, 1976
Phillips 6,027,136 Feb. 22, 2000
(filed Jan. 8, 1997)
The following rejection is before us for review.
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