Appeal 2006-1708
Application 10/186,253
1 corrugated air fin (101) is located between the opposed surfaces with the
2 corrugations comprising fin walls (111) diverging from and joined at a crest having
3 an interior radius ranging from 0.1 mm to 0.36 mm (Yamamoto, Fig. 10, col. 6, ll.
4 58-60, outer radius R minus t). Each fin wall comprises a louver (103) having a
5 length (L) (L is equal to l of the claimed invention) ranging from 2.28 mm to 9.9
6 mm (Yamamoto, Fig. 6, col. 4, ll. 12-15). Adjacent crests are separated by a pitch
7 (Yamamoto, col. 3, ll. 62-68) equal to 2.25 mm (Yamamoto, col. 7, ll. 6-7). Four
8 times the radius (4r) is equal to 1.28 mm. The corrugated fin has defined ranges:
9 0.1 mm < r < 0.36 mm, 0.76 < l/c < 0.99 and p > 4r (2.25 mm > 1.28 mm).
10 Appellants contend that the rejection under 35 U.S.C. § 102(b) is improper
11 because Yamamoto does not disclose or suggest all of the limitations recited in the
12 claims. More specifically, Appellants contend that Yamamoto fails to teach or
13 otherwise disclose V-shaped fin walls (Br. 14). The Examiner contends
14 Yamamoto discloses V-shaped fin walls according to the Appellants’ definition of
15 V-shaped (Answer 18).
16 The Appellants have clearly defined a V-shaped fin wall to be where the
17 pitch is more than four times the radius (p > 4r) and that a U-shaped fin wall is
18 where the pitch is equal to four times the radius (p = 4) (Specification 7:20-24,
19 8: 3-5, and 9:5-6; Br. 14:11-13 and 19:12-14). Yamamoto discloses a pitch value
20 of p = 2.25 mm and a radius value ranging from r = 0.1 mm to r = 0.36 mm.
21 Yamamoto satisfies the limitation of p > 4r for both the upper and lower value for r
22 (2.25 mm > 0.4 mm; 2.25 mm > 1.28 mm). Thus, we are not convinced of
23 reversible error in the Examiner’s rejection of claim 2 over Yamamoto.
12
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