Appeal No. 2002-1031
Application 09/129,883
4.8 mm, under an applied load of 100 kg. (col. 2, lines 32-34),
an outer cover layer 3 having a Shore D hardness of 30-70,
preferably 35-65 (col. 3, lines 62-64), and an enclosure layer
surrounding the center core having a Shore D hardness of up to
54, preferably 33-53 (col, 3, lines 13-18).1
Yamagishi ‘563, the secondary reference in each of the
examiner’s rejections, relates to a multi-piece solid golf ball
comprising a solid core 1 and a cover consisting of inner and
outer layers surrounding the core, with the outer cover layer 3
having a surface formed with a plurality of dimples. Of
particular interest with respect to the obviousness issues raised
in this appeal, Yamagishi ‘563 discloses in Table 3 several
patterns for providing the dimples to the surface of the ball.
Although Yamagishi ‘563 does not describes the dimple patterns of
Table 3 in terms of appellants’ dimple parameter VR, appellants
concede2 that the Type I dimple pattern of Yamagishi ‘563 has a
1In Figure 1 of Hayashi, the center core of the ball is
denoted by reference number 5 and the enclosure layer surrounding
the center core is denoted by reference number 4. In the
specification, this numbering is reversed, that is, the center
core is denoted by reference number 4 and the enclosure layer is
denoted by reference number 5.
2See the “Remarks” section (pages 8-11) of the amendment
filed March 8, 2000 (Paper No. 8) and the Table attached to that
(continued...)
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