Appeal No. 2007-0023
Application No. 10/410,854
hollow core as a separate tube and then attaching it to head and
threaded portions (answer, page 6). The examiner argues that
even if Taylor’s process were modified to form a shank having
Nodière’s wavy hollow portion, such as by using hot or cold
forming and/or cutting, Taylor’s process still would be simpler
than forming Nodière’s shank and then attaching head and threaded
portions to it (answer, page 8).
Even if Taylor’s process could be modified to form Nodière’s
wavy hollow shank portion, the examiner’s argument is not
persuasive for the following reasons.
First, the examiner has not established that the bolt
performance desired by Nodière, i.e., elastic and resilient yield
under vibration without exceeding the elastic limit of the
material of the bolt and without permanent deformation of the
bolt (page 1, left column, lines 10-13), could be obtained if the
bolt were hollow throughout its entire length.
Second, extending Nodière’s hollow portion through the
threaded portion would prevent the cross-sectional area at the
core of the threaded portion measured between the deepest points
of the threads from equaling the cross-sectional area of the
unthreaded portion at all of its axial points (first page, left
column, lines 22-26). The examiner argues that the hollow
portion’s wall could be thinned to maintain the desired cross-
5
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Next
Last modified: September 9, 2013