Appeal No. 2001-2143
Application No. 09/093,248
limit is exceeded, the conductor strips melt to open the circuit. Each conductor strip
has a lower total current handling capacity than that of the pn junction of the device so
that the current is reduced or terminated before the pn junction can short.
Representative independent claim 18 is reproduced as follows:
18. An electrical circuit element for use with an electrical circuit, said
circuit element comprising:
an anode;
a cathode; and
rectifying means in electrical connection with said anode and said
cathode for rectifying the current in said circuit as said current passes
between said anode and said cathode, said anode including fuse means
for opening said circuit if a preselected current limit is reached.
The examiner relies on the following reference:
Douglass 5,077,534 Dec. 31, 1991
Claims 18-33 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 112, first paragraph, as relying
on a nonenabling disclosure.1
Claims 18-33 stand further rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as unpatentable over
Douglass.
Reference is made to the briefs and answer for the respective positions of
appellant and the examiner.
1 While the examiner explains the rejection in terms of claims 1, 8 and 13, which are no longer
in the case, we will presume, as did appellant, that the examiner meant to apply this rejection to claims
18-33.
2
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