Appeal No. 2004-0921
Application No. 09/472,134
THE INVENTION
The invention relates to “a snowmobile where, among other
features, the steering control position, the seating position,
and the position of the footrests are arranged in relation to one
another so that the rider’s center of gravity is closer to the
center of gravity of the vehicle than on a conventional
snowmobile” (specification, page 1). Representative claim 1
reads as follows:
1. A snowmobile, comprising:
a frame;
an engine disposed on the frame;
a drive track disposed below the frame and connected
operatively to the engine for propulsion of the snowmobile;
two skis disposed on the frame;
a straddle seat disposed on the frame behind the engine, the
seat being dimensioned to support a standard rider with a center
of gravity in a standard position in which the standard rider
straddles the seat while the snowmobile is heading straight ahead
on flat terrain, the standard rider having dimensions and weight
of a 50-percentile human male; and
a steering device disposed on the frame forward of the seat,
the steering device being operatively connected to the two skis
for steering the snowmobile,
wherein the snowmobile has a first center of gravity without
the rider and a second center of gravity with the rider in the
standard position, and
wherein a distance between a vertical line passing through
the first center of gravity and a vertical line passing through
the second center of gravity is between 0 cm and 14 cm.
THE REJECTIONS
Claims 1 through 49, 55, 57 through 60, 64 through 68, 73,
77 through 88, 90 and 92 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 112,
2
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