Appeal No. 2002-2118 Page 11
Application No. 09/010,614
applied to selected portions 102 of the circuit board 100 is melted to solder the
solder tail portions 11a of the connector terminals 11 to the circuit board 100.
The appellant argues (brief, pp. 9-10) that claims 1 and 5 are not anticipated by
Ikesugi because (1) Ikesugi does not teach the "frictionally attaching" step of claim 1;
and (2) the present invention relies exclusively on frictional attachment. We find this
argument unpersuasive for the following two reasons.
First, the "frictionally attaching" step of claim 1 is readable on Ikesugi. In that
regard, Ikesugi's connector placement member 1 is removable and temporary attached
to the electrical connector 2. When so attached (see Figure 6 of Ikesugi), the resilient
engagement legs 6 frictionally engage along a length of at least two sides of the
electrical connector 2 and the auxiliary engagement legs 9 frictionally engage along a
length of at least two sides of the electrical connector 2 all without the use of an
adhesive. In addition, the gripping portions 112 of the first engagement legs 6
frictionally engage recesses 4c in the sidewalls 4. The frictionally interengagement of
the resilient engagement legs 6 and the auxiliary engagement legs 9 with the connector
sidewalls 4 (see Figure 6 of Ikesugi) clearly is the mechanism by which Ikesugi's
connector placement member 1 is removable and temporary attached to the electrical
connector 2 and thus the "frictionally attaching" step of claim 1 is readable on Ikesugi.
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