Appeal No. 2002-1782 Page 4
Application No. 08/709,354
Sakemi is directed to mounting electronic leads on a circuit board, and discloses
a U-shaped mound of solder for receiving a component lead. The arms of the solder
mound are of constant width throughout their length, including the extremities thereof,
as shown in Figure 2. The cross section of the solder mound in each of the arms is
rounded, as is apparent from Figure 3. It is the examiner’s position that the rounded
cross section of the solder mound constitutes “tapering” in the longitudinal direction
away from the bridge along the surface of the printed circuit board (Answer, pages 3-5).
We do not agree with the examiner’s conclusion. From our perspective, even
conceding, arguendo, the rounded cross section of the solder arms disclosed in Sakemi
to be “tapered,” they are not tapered “along the surface of a printed circuit board,” as
required by the claim, but perpendicularly to the surface of the board. We arrive at this
conclusion on the basis of the clear meaning of the language recited in the claim, which
is confirmed by the illustration of this feature of the invention in Figure 4E of the
appellants’ drawing.
Since Sakemi fails to disclose or teach this step of claim 1, we will not sustain
the rejection. Nor, it follows, will we sustain the like rejection of claims 2-4, which
depend from claim 1.
Independent claim 21 also contains the limitation regarding the orientation of the
taper, and therefore we also will not sustain the rejection of this claim.
CONCLUSION
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next
Last modified: November 3, 2007