Appeal No. 2005-1316
Application No. 09/735,503
together with Gemma, column 14, line 45 to column 15, line 18.
Nor is there any dispute that:
The single crystal [of Gemma] is placed in a desired
orientation including all angles from 0 to 90 degrees
(col. 13, lines 1-6) to provide a better fatigue
resistance (col. 3, lines 10-50). The orientation of
the seed is preferred between zero and twenty degrees
(col. 3, lines 39-41, col. 12, lines 52-65). The
secondary orientation would not affect the turbine
blade’s weight, the turbine blade’s shape, or the
flexure mode of the turbine blade, since the flexure
frequencies is [sic, are] insensitive to the secondary
orientation as acknowledged ... by [the] applicant
(page 3, lines 24-26 of [the] applicant’s specifica-
tion). (Emphasis in original)
Although the examiner acknowledges that Gemma is silent with
respect to the tuning of a natural frequency of the turbine blade
(bucket), the examiner takes the position that such tuning “is
inherent that every time when Gemma ... arrange[s] the crystal
seed to a different orientation, at any angle, the natural
frequency has been tuned to a different value.” See the Answer,
page 3. In other words, the examiner finds that Gemma, by virtue
of placing its single crystal seed in an orientation (direction)
useful for improving fatigue resistance, necessarily or
inherently obtains the corresponding desired percentage change in
the natural frequency of the turbine blade (bucket).
The appellant argues (Reply Brief, pages 1 and 2) that:
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Last modified: November 3, 2007