Appeal 2007-0001
Application 09/944,589
The claims are directed to a wheel bearing assembly. Claim 1 is
illustrative:
1. A wheel bearing assembly which comprises:
an inner member;
an outer member;
at least one circumferential row of rolling elements rollingly
interposed between the inner and outer members;
a sealing device sealing an annular end space defined between
the inner and outer members; and
a magnetized encoder mounted on one of the inner and outer
members which serves as a rotary member and including an elastic
member made of a base material mixed with a powder of magnetic
material, said elastic member being bonded by vulcanization to the
magnetized encoder and having a series of alternating magnetic poles
of opposite polarities formed in a direction circumferentially of the
rotary member;
wherein under a thermal endurance test condition in which the
magnetized encoder is subjected to 1,000 thermal cycles each
consisting of heating at 120oC for one hour followed by cooling at -
40oC for one hour, the magnetized encoder retains the following initial
magnetic characteristics when measured at a point 2.0 mm distant
from a magnetic sensor:
Single pitch deviation: ±2% or less and
Magnetic flux density: ±3 mT or higher.
The Examiner relies on the following prior art references to show
unpatentability:
Alff US 5,622,437 Apr. 22, 1997
Keizo Ohta, Knack of Selecting Magnetic Material, 45 Japanese Standards
Assoc. (Nov. 10, 1989) (“Knack”).
2
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