Appeal No. 2003-1118
Application 08/968,534
lines 59 through 64). In use, as an operator moves the cleaning
head across the surface to be cleaned, the knives make parallel
incisions in the soft material, effectively cutting it into
parallel strips, the blade scrapes the strips from the surface,
the water jet further cleans the scraped surface to remove
residual material and the vacuum hose aspirates liquid and
removed material from the head (see column 7, line 36 et seq.).
Grant adds that while spray heads employing air or gas
atomization could be used, airless spraying systems are preferred
since any sprayed air will reduce the velocity, and hence the
entraining effect, of air entering the cleaning head through the
open face (see column 5, lines 52 through 58).
Conceding that Grant’s cleaning device does not respond to
the above discussed limitations in independent claims 1 and 15
requiring an air nozzle or nozzle means centered within a vacuum
flow path, the examiner turns to Cothrell to overcome this
deficiency.
Cothrell discloses a device for cleaning endless abrasive
belts used for sanding and grinding operations. As shown in
Figure 5, the device, which is specifically constructed as a
component of a sanding and grinding apparatus 10, includes a hood
81, a nozzle means 95 for delivering pulses of compressed air
6
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Next
Last modified: November 3, 2007