Appeal No. 2002-1067
Application No. 09/358,666
Claims 17, 18, 22, 23, 25 and 26 stand rejected under
35 U.S.C. § 103(a) as being unpatentable over Wegner.
Reference is made to appellants’ revised main brief and
reply brief (Paper Nos. 12 and 14) and to the examiner’s answer
(Paper No. 13) for the respective positions of appellants and the
examiner regarding the merits of these rejections.
Discussion
Looking first at the examiner’s anticipation rejection of
independent claim 24 based on Wegner, claim 24 calls for, inter
alia, first and second rollers having “substantially cylindrical”
exterior surfaces for contacting exterior surfaces of the strips
to reduce distortions imparted to the strips during slitting.
Wegner is directed to an apparatus for smoothing the edge
corners of metal strips produced by a slitter or other
continuously acting shearing device. Wegner’s apparatus
comprises, in pertinent part, first and second coacting roller
means 28, 29, each roller means comprising two work rolls 30, 31
separated by a thin spacer disk 33 and rotatably carried by a
shaft 34. The work rolls engage the metal strips at their edge
corners to de-burr and slightly taper said edge corners. Wegner
further describes the configuration and operation of the work
rolls as follows:
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