Appeal No. 2002-2065 Page 3
Application No. 09/398,688
OPINION
In reaching our decision in this appeal, we have given careful consideration to
the appellants’ specification and claims, to the applied prior art references, and to the
respective positions articulated by the appellants and the examiner. As a consequence
of our review, we make the determinations which follow.
Claim 16 is the only independent claim before us, and the appellants have
chosen to allow dependent claims 2 and 5-16 stand or fall with claim 16 (Brief, page 5).
The appellants’ invention relates to improvements in vessels of the type for
containing beverages. Cited on page 1 of the specification is GB 032, which the
examiner has applied as the primary reference, and over which the appellants believe
their invention to be an improvement. The problem to which the appellants have
directed their inventive efforts concerns the strength of the upper and lower support
rings, which protect the body of the vessel from deformation during loading and
transporting. The invention is manifested in claim 16 in the following manner:
16. A vessel, comprising a vessel body formed of metal and having an
approximately cylindrical wall, a bottom and a cover; and a plastic ring provided
at each of opposite ends of the vessel body and extending radially beyond the
vessel body, wherein at least one of the plastic rings includes a flange ring, an
arc-shaped ring which abuts a section of the vessel body, and an intermediate
ring which connects the flange ring with the arc-shaped ring and has a reduced
diameter waist-like portion,
wherein the arc-shaped ring comprises a retaining ring
engageable in an associated circular groove formed in the vessel body,
a curved section encompassing a transition region between the wall of
the vessel body and one of the bottom and the cover, and a section
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Next
Last modified: November 3, 2007