Ex Parte RIEBE - Page 7




          Appeal No. 1998-1263                                                        
          Application No. 08/351,993                                                  


               Independent claim 25 recites a method of assembling a brake            
          stack with the following features, inter alia, the brake stack              
          having a front axial end adapted to be positioned adjacent to and           
          for contact only at circumferentially spaced apart locations by a           
          plurality of circumferentially spaced apart pressure application            
          members, the majority of the brake stack being formed of a                  
          material that will deform or flow during an anticipated high                
          energy braking action, the method comprising providing the front            
          axial end of the brake stack with a first rigid disk arranged to            
          be contacted only at circumferentially spaced apart locations by            
          said plurality of circumferentially spaced apart pressure                   
          application members, the first rigid disk being formed of a                 
          material capable of maintaining a clamp load across the brake               
          stack during a high energy stop that is more uniform than the               
          clamp load across the brake stack that results when only using a            
          pressure plate of steel.                                                    


               At this point, it is particularly important for us to fully            
          comprehend the meaning of certain language appearing in each of             
          claims 1, 10, and 25.  First, we focus upon the recitation in the           
          claims of a first rigid disk as the front axial end of the brake            
          stack, which rigid disk is formed of a material capable of                  

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