Appeal No. 2004-0504
Application No. 09/455,735
engages a one-way ratchet on the other piece to maintain the
engagement of the tubing connector (Brief, pages 2-3).
Illustrative independent claim 5 is reproduced below:
5. A device for maintaining a connection between a first
tubing segment including a first tubing segment connector and a
second tubing segment including a second tubing segment
connector, the first tubing segment connector and the second
tubing segment connector being connectable to establish fluid
connection from the first tubing segment through the second
tubing segment comprising: a first tube holder for holding the
first tubing segment; and a second tube holder for holding the
second tubing segment, the first tube holder being engagable with
the second tube holder, wherein said first tube holder gas [sic,
has] an arm that is parallel to the first tubing segment, said
arm being engagable by the second tube holder, and wherein said
arm has one or more notches along at least one of its edges, and
said second tube holder has one or more teeth slidably engagable
with said notches.
The examiner relies on the following references as evidence
of obviousness:
Raabe 1,989,823 Feb. 05, 1935
Hogendijk et al. (Hogendijk) 6,051,007 Apr. 18, 2000
(filed Mar. 02, 1998)
The claims on appeal stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a)
as unpatentable over Raabe in view of Hogendijk (Answer, page 3).
We reverse the rejection on appeal for the reasons stated below.
OPINION
The examiner finds that Raabe discloses a clamp and a
connection maintaining method comprising a first tube holder, a
second tube holder, a release mechanism, where the first tube
2
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