Appeal No. 2005-1982 2
Application No. 10/155,006
INTRODUCTION
The claims are directed to a dryer for car mats. According to the specification,
the dryer includes pairs of rollers to squeeze water from a wet floor mat. After passing
through the rollers, the mat exits the back of the dryer (specification, ¶ 11). Claim 1 is
illustrative of the subject matter on appeal:
1. A dryer for car mats comprising:
a housing, said housing having a front, a back, a top, a bottom, a
left side and a right side,
an inlet in said front of said housing,
an outlet in said back of said housing, and
a first set of rollers in said housing, said first set of rollers
comprising a top roller and a bottom roller.
The Examiner rejects the claims under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a). As evidence of
unpatentability, the Examiner relies upon the following prior art references:
Smith US 4,104,755 Aug. 8, 1978
Ingram US 4,968,166 Nov. 6, 1990
Ueda et al. (Ueda) US 5,217,561 Jun. 8, 1993
Foote US 5,511,471 Apr. 30, 1996
Spitko US 6,026,884 Feb. 22, 2000
To reject claims 1-2, the Examiner relied upon Foote alone. To reject claims 3-4,
the Examiner adds Spitko. To reject claims 5-6, the Examiner adds Ueda. To reject
claim 7, the Examiner adds Ingram. To rejection claims 1, 8, and 9, the Examiner relies
upon Smith.
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