Appeal No. 2002-1620 Page 8
Application No. 09/504,416
fluid in response to detecting a vehicle collision. In our view, the claimed language that
the releasable pedal system includes a pressure release valve operable to release
pressurized fluid to a fluid supply reservoir so as to reduce the amount of pressurized
fluid in response to detecting a vehicle collision is clearly readable on Bauer's outlet
valves 51, 52, 57, 58 which open the connections 69, 71 leading to the low-pressure
accumulators 67, 68 so that the pressure fluid volume discharged from the master
brake cylinder 2 propagates into the low-pressure accumulators 67, 68 upon a crash
sensed by airbag sensor 62. Thus, the claimed pressure release valve operable to
release pressurized fluid is readable on Bauer's outlet valves 51, 52, 57, 58 and the
claimed fluid supply reservoir is readable on Bauer's low-pressure accumulators 67, 68.
In that regard, Bauer's low-pressure accumulators 67, 68 do supply fluid to the brake
system when the brake system reverts from the position depicted in Figure 5 wherein
the low-pressure accumulators 67, 68 are filled with fluid to the position depicted in
Figure 4 wherein the low-pressure accumulators 67, 68 are not filled with fluid.1
With regard to the appellants' argument to the effect that Bauer's low-pressure
accumulators 67, 68 do not recirculate the fluid back to the pressure fluid supply
reservoir 5 (identified in Figure 1 of Bauer), we note that such a feature is not recited in
1 We note that the claimed fluid supply reservoir is not readable on pressure fluid receivers 16, 17
shown in Figure 1 of Bauer or the accumulator chambers 26, 27 shown in Figures 2 and 3 of Bauer since
these receivers/chambers do not supply fluid to the brake system, rather they remove fluid therefrom.
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