Appeal No. 2005-1835 Page 5
Application No. 10/106,538
connecting rods are secured by a series of threaded nuts 10, threaded down against the
plates 9.
By the conventional method of the AAPA, a powerful, upwardly driven push is
provided by the piston ram 4 of the hydraulic cylinder 2, as represented by an arrow 15.
This upwardly driven push is exerted upon the I-beam 6, by means of the bearing plate
5 which bears on the bottom flange of the I-beam. The beam 6 is fixedly connected to
the anchor piles 7 by means of the threaded nuts 10, tightened on the connecting rods
8, against the plates 9. As a result, the I-beam 6 cannot move up. The forceful push of
the piston ram 4 is effectively resisted by the anchor piles 7 because of the friction
between the anchor piles 7 and the soil 17. An equivalent forceful push therefore is
exerted downwardly on the test plate 3 and, as a result, on the individual pile 1.
In our view, claim 1 reads on the AAPA as follows:
A method of testing piles for load bearing capacity (the AAPA provides a method of
testing piles for load bearing capacity), comprising:
a. applying a static compressive force on a pile to be tested for load bearing capacity
(the AAPA applies a static compressive force on the pile 1 being tested for load bearing
capacity);
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