Appeal No. 2006-1546
Application No. 09/974,262
triangular airbag cover and tear line pattern. (Reply Brief,
page 4).
We are not persuaded by Appellants’ arguments. This is
because Otsuka teaches that his airbag cover can be used as a
steering wheel airbag cover (as well as a passenger-side air bag
cover) (English Translation, ¶ [0066]). Additionally, Otsuka’s
breakage-part (i.e., tear line) pattern is not limited to the
“H”-shape, but also may be “substantially U-shaped” (English
Translation, ¶ [0064]). We note that the upper portion of
Yokota’s tear line pattern shown in Figure 4 may be similarly
characterized as “substantially U-shaped.” The similarity in
the shape of the “breakage part” (i.e., tear line) pattern
between Otsuka and Yokota, coupled with Otsuka’s teaching to use
his cover with steering wheel mounted airbags, evinces that
Otsuka’s and Yokota’s airbag covers are not “very distinct” from
each other as Appellants allege. (Reply Brief, page 4). Rather,
in view of these similarities, Otsuka’s teaching to control
rigidity of the cover using ribs (i.e., ridges) and Otsuka’s
teaching to use his airbag cover with steering wheel mounted
airbags, one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the
invention was made would have combined Otsuka’s ribs with
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