Appeal No. 2003-0895
Application No. 09/549,703
portion of Kohno cited by the examiner, column 1, lines 27-45,
reads as follows:
On the other hand, the separation failure can be
avoided by using a cord strip having a cord angle of 0°
instead of the limit block because the cut free end of
the cord is not formed in case of using the strip.
However, when using such a strip, the enlargement of
the belt in circumferential direction is suppressed in
a vulcanizer for green tire, which causes the serious
difficulty in the manufacture of tires. Moreover, the
twisting of the cord used as a reinforcing element for
the strip having a cord angle of 0° is possible to have
a structure that it easily elongates only at the
initial curing stage and provides a given rigidity
after curing. In such a cord, however, the twisting
pitch becomes short, which is disadvantageous in view
of the productivity, and the cord strength is lowered
due to the twisting, so that it is obliged to increase
the end count in the strip considering a fear of so-
called cut burst in the tire, resulting in the increase
of tire weight. Furthermore, it is impossible to use a
monofilament as a cord material.
Manifestly, Kohno provides no such general teaching in the
passage cited by the examiner, nor, from our review, anywhere
else. Accordingly, since the examiner has cited no evidence that
one of ordinary skill in the art recognizes the benefits of a
wavy or undulating pattern in a belt reinforcing layer,
regardless of the relative widths of the belt and reinforcing
layers, the examiner has failed to establish a prima facie case
of obviousness.
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