Appeal No. 2001-0300
Application 08/819,527
Obviousness
Initially, we look at the following limitations of the coil
structure in claim 10:
a wire wound in a predetermined number of turns, with a
uniform mean turn area of wire for each turn, at a constant
pitch over a predetermined length along a longitudinal axis
in passes in opposite directions along said longitudinal
axis to provide an elongate coil structure wherein a number
of turns in each pass is defined by said predetermined
length divided by said constant pitch, a number of passes in
each direction is defined by said predetermined number of
turns divided by said number of turns in each pass . . . .
It appears that such general limitations would be necessarily
inherent in any design for a coil where turns are wound on
a linear mandrel, except for perhaps the limitation of
"a uniform mean turn area of wire for each turn." A coil is
designed for a predetermined number of turns to get the desired
sensitivity. The mandrel has a known predetermined length.
Turns are wound by machine at a known constant pitch. The number
of turns per pass is determined by the predetermined length
divided by the pitch and the number of passes is determined by
the predetermined number of turns divided by the number of turns
per pass. The wire must be wound in passes in opposite
directions to use a continuous length of wire. It is known from
Edwards (col. 6, lines 54-56) and appellant's description of
Edwards (specification at 1, lines 11-14) that the mean turn area
and the number of turns of wire per unit length should be
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