Appeal No. 2005-0355 Page 4
Application No. 10/080,714
Mayumi discloses a bearing, used in a helicopter gearbox, having a large number
of small recesses provided on the surface of the rolling element of the bearing or at
least one of the rolling surfaces of inner and outer bearing rings “to control the
roughness of this slightly rough surface” (translation, page 1). According to Mayumi,
[b]y these means, it becomes advantageous to form an oil
film between the bearing rings and the rolling element using
these recesses, thereby eliminating abrasion and peeling
damage and thus extending the usable life [translation, page
1].
We find no disclosure in Mayumi, either in the abstract or in the remainder of the
document, of forming the recesses by shot-peening or an average angle " of less than
5 degrees, as called for in claim 1. The examiner concedes on page 3 of the answer
that these features are lacking in Mayumi.
Miyasaka discloses a method of forming recesses (concave portions 52) in the
surface of the sliding portion of a metal product, such as a machine part, using a shot-
peening process to provide sumps for oil to improve abrasion resistance at the sliding
portion (column 1, lines 6-14). Miyasaka teaches in the abstract that, by shot-peening,
the surface retains high hardness and toughness, even if
sliding is performed for long time periods, and the concave
portions are not deformed so that a stable oil film can be
maintained.
The examiner has determined that it would have been obvious to use shot-
peening to form the recesses in Mayumi’s bearing so lubricating oil can be retained in
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