Appeal No. 2006-2169 Page 10
Application No. 09/899,919
optical fibre 6, an optical fibre alignment sleeve 8, a refractive index matching
material 10, and a fibre fixing clip 12." (Col. 3, ll. 62-66.) We find that the fibre fixing
clip 12 features a pair of legs defining an opening. To wit, "[a]s shown in FIGS. 11 and
12, the fibre fixing clip 12 . . . comprises a flat base 62 from opposite edges of which
depend respective fibre retention plates 64, each of which comprises a pair of legs 66
each having a tapered free end portion 68, the legs defining between them an
opening 67 having parallel side edges 65." (Col. 4, l. 63 – col. 5, l. 1.)
Similarly, because Herrmann's "limb 11 on the cable side 5 is likewise of U-
shaped design with two limbs (FIG. 3)," (col. 2, ll. 46-47), we find that the fiber holding
clip features a pair of legs defining an opening. Because these two "limbs 11 pierce the
insulating sheath 7 of the fiber-optic cable end," (col. 3, ll. 11-12), we further find that
the secondary reference describes blade parts.
Although Figures 3 and 5 of Hermann show that its blade parts are formed by a
side edge of an opening joined at an angle to an edge of the limbs, the Figures portray
the angle as an obtuse angle rather than a right angle. Because the operation of the
blade parts is the same with an obtuse angle or a right angle, we agree with the
examiner's aforementioned finding, however, that the appellant's "invention would
Page: Previous 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Next
Last modified: November 3, 2007