Appeal No. 2003-0121
Application No. 09/143,318
Suzuki as insulating materials” (answer-page 3).
For their part, appellants contend that a desire to avoid
electric shock by providing insulation for various components is
not sufficient motivation to make the proposed combination
because ultrasonic motors, being inherently miniature, low-
voltage devices, do not present an electrical shock hazard.
However, according to appellants, even if this was sufficient
motivation, the combination would still not result in the instant
claimed subject matter because the instant “claims recite a
particular structure rather than the indiscriminate use of an
insulating material in an ultrasonic motor” (principal brief-page
17).
It is appellants’ position that while the rejection of the
claims is directed solely to the obviousness of forming one or
more elements of an ultrasonic motor using an insulating
material, the examiner has overlooked other limitations of the
independent claims 1 and 13. In particular, contend appellants,
these claims “recite a configuration having at least three
distinct features which are absent from the cited references,
including: (1) mounting of an ultrasonic motor to a conductive
member of an electrical apparatus through which a power supply
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