Appeal No. 2002-2336
Application 09/081,765
From our perspective, the fact that Franke describes the
shaft passage (10) as being “pressure-resistant” and as being
“configured so as to withstand mechanical stress” would readily
convey to one of ordinary skill in the art that this welded
connection between the metal flange components (7, 8) is expected
to encounter and transmit some degree of force between the two
flange components and would thus produce a flux of force between
those parts. For example, when hot fluid first enters the pump
section (1) of the centrifugal pump system of Franke and causes
heating of the pump components (including flange component 7),
there will be some degree of thermal expansion of the pump flange
component (7) that will manifest itself in the form of mechanical
stress transmitted from pump flange component (7) to motor
section flange component (8), and at least some portion of that
mechanical stress will be transmitted through the welded
connection between metal flange components (7) and (8) at shaft
passage (10). In that regard, we note that the language of
appellants’ independent claims 1, 8, 16, 18, 19 and 20 require no
more than that the force-transmitting metal element be capable of
transmitting and withstanding a flux of force and does not
require that the force-transmitting metal element be capable of
6
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Next
Last modified: November 3, 2007