Appeal No. 2002-1477
Application No. 09/544,849
specification, and which corresponds to the claimed “means for
mounting,” clearly affects the method of mounting a disc to a hub
in accordance with the criteria for giving patentable weight to
structural limitations in method claims set forth in the Leesona
case cited (Answer, page 6) in support of the Examiner’s position.
Lastly, we do not sustain the Examiner’s 35 U.S.C. § 102(b)
rejection of independent method claim 22 which includes specific
structural limitations directed to the C-shaped disc mounting
structure. As in our previous discussion, we find no basis for the
Examiner disregarding the structural limitations directed to the
claimed mounting elements, especially since the claimed C-shaped
structure clearly affects the method of mounting a disc to a hub as
claimed.
In summary, we have not sustained the Examiner’s 35 U.S.C.
§ 102(b) rejection of any of the claims on appeal. Accordingly,
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