Appeal No. 2003-0725
Application 09/629,978
(Paper No. 16) (pages referred to as "RBr__") for a statement of
appellants' arguments thereagainst.
OPINION
Appellants argue claims 1 and 19 as representative of two
groups. Since claim 19 contains the limitations of claim 1 plus
additional limitations, it is sufficient to discuss claim 1.
Koga describes a hybrid electric car propelled by a battery-
powered motor. Most of Koga describes a series hybrid electric
car (Fig. 1) where the electric motor drives the wheels (i.e.,
provides propulsive power for the vehicle) and the engine charges
the battery and assists the motor by driving a generator. This
serial embodiment does not fit the claim recitation that the
engine outputs propulsive power for the vehicle and is assisted
by a motor. However, Koga states that the invention may be
applied to a parallel hybrid electric car as shown in Fig. 11
with certain modifications (col. 19, lines 1-18). In a parallel
hybrid electric car, although the motor is primarily responsible
for providing the propulsive power and is assisted by the engine
(col. 1, lines 20-34), it could be considered that the engine is
assisted by the motor, so our analysis must go further. In
either the serial or parallel vehicle, the engine is operated
only as an auxiliary, so that the hybrid electric cars in Koga
are supposed to be driven only by operating their electric motor
without relying on the internal combustion engine, in order to
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