Appeal 2007-1465
Application 10/229,414
means 57 of Otto are included by (claim 1) or "part of " (claim 15) the
poppet valve (poppet 30 of Otto).
Appellant does not argue that Otto's fins 59 are not ribs, as called for
in the claims. Rather, Appellant argues that it is the means 57, not the
poppet 30, that includes the fins and that, accordingly, Otto's poppet 30 does
not include fins, as required in claim 1 (Appeal Br. 3) and Otto's fins 59 are
not part of the poppet 30, as required by claim 15 (Appeal Br. 4).
Otto's valve includes a housing 22 having an inlet 23, an outlet 24 and
an annular valve seat 25 intermediate the inlet 23 and outlet 24 and a
movable valve member or poppet 30 disposed in the housing 22 (Otto 3:35-
43 and 52-53). Poppet 30 includes a stem portion 53 which carries "unique
structure or means" 57 to cooperate with the internal peripheral surface 46 of
housing 22 on the outlet side of valve seat 25 "to tend to prevent vibration,
oscillation or wobble" of poppet 30 during fluid flow through the valve seat
25 by substantially centering poppet 30 in the opening 54 of the valve seat
25 (Otto 4:52-61). Means 57 comprises a part 58 having a plurality of
circumferentially spaced apart fins 59 that radiate outwardly from a
substantially cylindrical body portion 60 that has an opening 61 passing
therethrough for receiving a reduced cylindrical part 62 of stem portion 53
(Otto 4:62-68). The reduced cylindrical part 62 can be secured in opening
61 in any suitable manner, such as by press-fitting or adhesively (Otto 5:1-
5).
Otto's poppet 30 has part 58, with fins 59, secured to the reduced
cylindrical part 62 of stem portion 53 thereof and thus "includes" the part 58,
and thus fins 59, as "a part" thereof, thereby satisfying the language at issue
in claims 1 and 15. It is noteworthy that neither claim 1 nor claim 15
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