Appeal No. 2003-1332 Page 2
Application No. 09/797,143
BACKGROUND
The appellants' invention relates to a fuel injector made with a poppet that is
formed of a material that increasingly conforms in shape to an associated valve seat in
response to continued wear of the poppet through repeated contact with the valve seat
(specification, p. 1). The appellants' invention provides the beneficial result of improved
salt water corrosion resistance and by using a softer metal to make the poppet, the
improved sealing characteristic improves fuel efficiency of the engine and reduces
emissions of undesirable compounds. A copy of the claims under appeal is set forth in
the appendix to the appellants' brief.
The prior art references of record relied upon by the examiner in rejecting the
appealed claims are:
Danis 3,319,321 May 16, 1967
Kloske et al. 3,770,426 Nov. 6, 1973
(Kloske)
Gu 5,119,792 June 9, 1992
Claims 15 to 20 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable
over Gu in view of Danis.
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