Appeal 2007-1098
Application 10/026,059
1 associated circuit elements . . . said associated circuit elements being
2 mounted on . . . mounting pads and means for sealing said crystal cell
3 and wherein said watch components are encapsulated in a potting
4 compound . . . .
5
6 Luce teaches that the oscillator typically is a quartz crystal oscillator (Luce, col. 3,
7 ll. 62-64). The display and associated circuit elements may be sealed from the
8 atmosphere by means of a metal can enclosure (Luce, col. 4,
9 ll. 31-44). Luce adds (Luce, col. 4, ll. 53-64):
10 Still another sealing means (shown as dotted lines in Fig. 2) which
11 may be used together or independently of the aforementioned seals is
12 a completely [sic] encapsulation of the device with a potting material
13 46. For use as a wrist watch, the die or form used during potting can
14 be made such that means, such as ears 48, are formed at the time of
15 potting for attaching the device to a wrist band . . . . When potting is
16 employed, it is advantageous to use a black or other dark colored
17 potting compound so as to increase the contrast of the display.
18
19 Accordingly, I find that Luce describes a circuit comprising an electronic
20 component (display cell associated circuit elements), a protective enclosure for the
21 electronic component (sealing means), and a structure surrounding the protective
22 enclosure that increases a thermal mass of the electronic component (potting
23 material). The only remaining issue is whether or not Luce’s “potting material”
24 inherently, necessarily, and/or obviously reduces thermal drift of an electronic
25 component.
26 I am not able to positively state or determine from the present record
27 whether Luce’s “potting material” would reduce any thermal drift associated with
28 one of Luce’s electronic components. However, I find that persons having
29 ordinary skill in the art reasonably would have expected that Luce’s potting
30 material likely would reduce thermal drift of a circuit element because: (1) the
16
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