Appeal No. 2006-1546
Application No. 09/974,262
member mounted at a central portion of the steering wheel for
supporting said air bag module, wherein:
said cover member is slidably supported on the module-
supporting member to cover said air bag module and said switch,
said cover member operates said switch when the cover
member is pushed and slid relative to the module-supporting
member,
said cover member has groove-shaped tear lines formed in an
inner surface thereof to assure that said air bag reliably
breaks the cover member along the tear lines when it is inflated
by said inflator, and
said cover member has at least one independent rigidity
enhancing member integrally formed on the inner surface thereof
to assure sufficient rigidity of the cover member, said rigidity
enhancing member having a width which is substantially equal to
or larger than a width of said tear lines over a major portion
in the lengthwise direction of the rigidity enhancing member.
The references set forth below are relied upon by the
Examiner as evidence of obviousness:
Yokota 6,244,618 Jun. 12, 2001
Otsuka et al. (Otsuka)1 JP 11-139235 May 25, 1999
All of the claims on appeal are rejected under 35 U.S.C.
§ 112, first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written
description requirement.
All of the claims on appeal are rejected under 35 U.S.C.
§ 103(a) as being unpatentable over Yokota in view of Otsuka.
1 Our understanding of this reference is based on the English
Translation of record.
3
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