Appeal No. 2004-1553
Application No. 09/915,631
consists of a pendulum 1 attached to a casing 10a using
a joint 13 providing one degree of freedom of movement
(i.e.[,] the pendulum 1 is constrained to move in one
plane only). A coil 3 is fixed to the pendulum 1, and
a movable electrode 41 is attached at or adjacent the
free end (moving direction) of the pendulum 1. A
casing 10 supports a magnet 2 so that the magnet is
adjacent the coil 3, and an electrode 42 is fixed to
the casing 10, facing the movable electrode 41.
. . . .
As mentioned above, the pendulum 1 has one degree
of freedom of movement (in the plane of the paper in
FIG. 4), so the sensor detects movement, and the
differential of acceleration of that movement in that
direction. The movable electrode 41 and electrode 42
fixed to the casing 10 form two pairs of electrodes
representing two plate capacitors. The electrostatic
capacitance C of such a plate capacitor is inversely
proportional to the size of the gap between the
capacitor plates . . . .
. . . .
. . . [T]he displacement of the pendulum 1 can be
detected from the change C in the electrostatic
capacitance between the two capacitors each formed by a
movable electrode 41 and a fixed electrode 42. [Column
7, lines 12-48.]
In rejecting the appealed claims as being anticipated by
Yamakado, the examiner reads the claimed first plate on the
movable electrode 41 of Yamakado’s sensor and the claimed second
plate on the fixed electrode 42 of Yamakado’s sensor. With
respect to the “connected to” limitations of independent claims
1 and 10, the examiner contends (answer, page 5)
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