Appeal No. 2006-1166
Application No. 09/994,257
The appellants argue that only the thin-walled portions of
Van der Pol’s tube (i.e., residual portions 6) vibrate and,
therefore, Van der Pol does not disclose a flow tube that is made
entirely of PTFE or PFA and vibrates along its length (brief,
page 6). The appellants’ claims do not require that the flow
tube vibrates along its entire length, and although Van der Pol
discloses that the vibration is measured in the relatively thin
residual material area (col. 3, lines 1-3), Van der Pol does not
disclose that the rest of the tube does not vibrate, or indicate
that a tube that vibrates along its entire length cannot be made
entirely of PTFE or PFA.
Moreover, Van der Pol discloses a method for making a
Coriolis flow meter comprising coupling to a housing (not shown
in the figures) a flow tube (4) made of PTFE or PFA, affixing an
oscillation generator (2) (which corresponds to the appellants’
driver) to the flow tube, and coupling sensors (3) (which
correspond to the appellants’ pick-off means) to the flow tube
(col. 3, line 65 - col. 4, line 33). Van der Pol’s disclosure
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