Appeal No. 2003-0396 Page 4
Application No. 09/698,570
together. This causes the contacts 72 of each connector to be received into the
contacts 74 of the other connector and brings the gaskets 26 into contact with one
another. Coupling nuts 30 rotatably mounted on the connectors are then rotated to
engage teeth 54, 58 of one of the nuts into slots 56, 52 of the nut of the other connector
to couple the connectors securely together.
Appellant (brief, page 4) argues that the subject matter of claims 3, 5 and 6 is not
anticipated by Gardner because the “electrical connection in Gardner is neither
connected as the pneumatic connection is made nor ‘simultaneous’ as recited in claims
3 and 5". According to appellant, rotation of the coupling nuts of Gardner is required in
order to complete the electrical connection; thus, “Gardner neither teaches nor
suggests an electrical connection that is made as the pneumatic connection is made,
nor ‘simultaneous’ therewith, as claimed in independent claims 3 and 5.”
Appellant’s claim 5 recites a step of connecting a first railroad car with a second
railroad car by coupling the pneumatic couplers of the cars such that a first electrical
connector of the first car is simultaneously connected with a second railroad connector
and a second electrical connector of the first car is simultaneously connected with a first
railroad connector of the second car. Gardner’s disclosed method of attaching the
connectors meets this limitation. Specifically, the gaskets 26 surrounding the
pneumatic lumens 18 are brought together at the same time that the electrical contacts
72, 74 are brought into contact with one another, namely, at the time when the tabs 20
of one connector are received into the slots 22 of the other connector. From our
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