Appeal No. 2004-1072 Page 2
Application No. 09/868,150
BACKGROUND
The appellant's invention relates to an electromagnetic actuator (specification, p.
1). A copy of dependent claims 8 to 10 is set forth in the appendix to the appellant's
brief. Claim 7 reads as follows:
Electromagnetic actuator, having at least one electromagnet (10) that acts
on a correspondingly designed armature surface (20) of a moveable armature
(22) in a first effective range (12) by way of at least one first conical and/or
stepped pole face (18) using a magnetic field (16) generated by at least one coil
(14), thereby forming a first magnetic flux (48), wherein said first magnetic flux
(48) flows through a first working air gap (60), characterized in that, shortly
before the moveable armature (22) reaches an end position, the electromagnet
(10) acts on a corresponding armature surface (28) by way of at least a second
pole face (26) in at least a second effective range (24), whereby a second
magnetic flux (58) is formed, wherein said second magnetic flux (58) flows
through a second working air gap (62).
Claims 7 to 10 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 102(b) as being anticipated by
U.S. Patent No. 4,281,6851 to Uemura.
Rather than reiterate the conflicting viewpoints advanced by the examiner and
the appellant regarding the above-noted rejection, we make reference to the answer
(Paper No. 12, remailed December 5, 2003) for the examiner's complete reasoning in
1 Issued August 4, 1981.
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