Appeal No. 2002-1587
Application No. 09/102,882
said head with a pair of opposed openings for insertion of the
tail from either direction, and a deflectable locking element
supported by said head and engageable with strap teeth upon
insertion of the strap into the passageway in either said
direction so as to place the locking element and strap teeth in
direct non-releasable locking engagement.
Read in light of the underlying disclosure, we comprehend
the claimed deflectable locking element as an element that, in
either direction of insertion of a strap, places the locking
element and strap teeth in direct non-releasable locking
engagement, as portrayed in appellants’ Figs. 6A through 6D.
On the other hand, somewhat akin to the showing in
appellants’ Fig. 10, the Martin patent (Figures 1 and 5)
addresses a reversible bundling or tie strap for looping about
linear articles, with rigid teeth 36 and a flexible pawl-like
member 38 constituting a means for locking end portions of the
tie strap in looped relation (column 1, lines 10 through 13 and
column 2, lines 67 through 72). The pawl-like member is indicated
by the patentee to hold the strap taut and prevent reverse
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