Appeal No. 2004-0839 Page 2
Application No. 09/347,695
BACKGROUND
The appellant's invention relates to an apparatus and method for coupling a
geophone to soil (specification, p. 1). Claim 1 reads as follows:
An apparatus for coupling a seismic geophone to soil, comprising:
a portable chassis;
a frame engaged with said chassis;
an orientation device engaged with said frame for selectively orienting
said frame to vertical; and
a hammer moveable relative to said frame to contact the soil in a vertical
direction for generating a case opening suitable for subsequent insertion of the
geophone, wherein said hammer is retractable from the case opening generated
by said hammer.
Claim 1 stands rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 102(b) as being anticipated by U.S.
Patent No. 5,315,0741 to Berquist.
The conflicting viewpoints advanced by the examiner and the appellant regarding
the above-noted anticipation rejection are set forth in the examiner's final rejection
(Paper No. 11, mailed March 27, 2002), the appellant's brief (Paper No. 17, filed
October 3, 2002), the examiner's answer (Paper No. 18, mailed December 27, 2002)
and the appellant's reply brief (Paper No. 19, filed March 4, 2003).
1 Issued May 24, 1994.
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