Ex Parte Petherbridge - Page 3




                    Appeal No. 2002-1423                                                                                                                                  
                    Application No. 09/531,839                                                                                                                            


                    applied prior art does not establish the lack of novelty or prima                                                                                     
                    facie obviousness of the claimed subject matter.  Accordingly,                                                                                        
                    the rejections of all claims on appeal are reversed.  Our reasons                                                                                     
                    follow.                                                                                                                                               
                              Church discloses a respirator for positive pressure forced                                                                                  
                    air supply to the breathing zone of the wearer comprising a                                                                                           
                    headpiece that forms the breathing zone.  An air flow passage is                                                                                      
                    provided through which the air passes before entering the                                                                                             
                    breathing zone.  The air flow passage has a short cylinder 42                                                                                         
                    with a restricted orifice 44 at its downstream end.  Col. 2,                                                                                          
                    lines 34-43.  The orifice serves to increase the pressure in                                                                                          
                    cylinder 42.  Col. 2, line 54.  This increased pressure is                                                                                            
                    detected by aperture 49 and supply line 48.  The increased                                                                                            
                    pressure is sufficient to lift float 54 off of its stop and                                                                                           
                    signal that the requisite amount of air is being supplied.                                                                                            
                              Claim 1 on appeal requires that suction be generated at the                                                                                 
                    flow detecting orifice.  The examiner has stated that Church                                                                                          
                    discloses "a pressure differential across the orifice implicit in                                                                                     
                    which is a suction force across the orifice."  We find ourselves                                                                                      
                    in agreement with appellant that suction is not the manner in                                                                                         
                    which aperture 44 of Church operates.  In fact, Church works by                                                                                       
                    increasing the pressure in cylinder 42 to send a higher pressure                                                                                      

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