Appeal No. 2004-0917
Application No. 09/684,210
independent form including all the limitations of the base claim
and any intervening claims.
The subject matter on appeal relates to an alignment device
for aligning a conduit within a conduit port of a housing
(claims 1 and 4 through 8), a conduit connection (claims 9, 10,
and 12 through 16), and a method for connecting and aligning a
conduit within a conduit port of a housing (claim 17).
According to the appellants, the alignment device of the present
invention “assures an efficient and reliable connection between
a conduit connected to a housing of an air-conditioning
component for a vehicle, in order to squarely align a relatively
short conduit end within a conduit port of the housing.”
(Specification, page 1, lines 4-9.) Further details of this
appealed subject matter are recited in representative claims 1
and 4 reproduced below:
1. An alignment device for aligning a conduit
within a conduit port of a housing, said alignment
device comprising:
a connecting block comprising a conduit passage
and a fastener passage laterally offset from said
conduit passage, said conduit being mounted in said
conduit passage;
a fastener having one end mounted into said
fastener passage of said connecting block; and
means for aligning said conduit in said conduit
port of said housing, said means for aligning
comprising an alignment sleeve interposed said
connecting block and said fastener [sic] and secured
to said fastener, whereby as said connecting block is
mounted to said housing said conduit is mounted to
2
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