Appeal No. 2006-0790
Reexamination Control No. 90/005,117
axis...” (Column 2, lines 4-6.) Teague also describes an
additional feature for the gas springs as follows: “[W]hen the
bed continues to move toward the fully closed position, the
springs reverse their action and act against that continued
5 movement” (column 2, lines 6-8). The function of the gas
springs 56 is more specifically described in Teague as follows
(FF16; column 4, lines 1-22):
When the bed is moved from its open position to a
balanced position wherein its center of gravity 61 is
10 directly over its pivot axis, and upon further
movement the gas springs continue to act as
compression springs but their action is reversed.
Hence, the springs act against the force of gravity
which moves the bed to its fully closed position.
15 During the movement of the bed from its open
position to the position wherein its center of gravity
61 is over its pivot axis 13, each lever 50 is swung
to a position wherein its pivot 52 is in alignment
with the lever pivot 48 and the gas spring pivot 58 so
20 that the gas springs are nearly fully extended and
they are exerting no moment of force. However, as bed
2 continues to swing clockwise around its pivot axis
to its fully closed position, each of levers 50
continues to swing clockwise around its pivot axis 48
25 and pivot 52 moves along an arcuate path beyond its
position in alignment with pivots 58 and 48. That
further swinging movement of lever 50 causes the gas
springs to be subjected to compression and they act
against and cushion the action of gravity as the bed
30 moves to its fully closed or rest position...[Emphasis
added.]
Based on this evidence, we conclude (as did the examiner)
that one of ordinary skill in the art would have been led to
20
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