Appeal 2007-1548
Application 10/702,346
Anderson’s-Black Rock are illustrative – a court must ask whether the
improvement is more than the predictable use of prior art elements according to
their established function.” Id. at 1740, 82 USPQ2d at 1395.
ANALYSIS
We agree with the Examiner (Answer 3) that Pepperling discloses providing
a pressure port having a material with a first hardness and providing a housing,
with the pressure port having a mounting boss and the housing having a receptacle
for receiving the mounting boss (Findings of Fact 1-3). We further agree with the
Examiner (Answer 3) that Pepperling does not disclose providing a housing having
a material having a second hardness less than the first hardness; configuring the
mounting boss of the pressure port with knurls thereon, the knurls oriented parallel
to an axis of the pressure port; or pressing the mounting boss of the pressure port
into the receptacle of the housing along a direction of the axis such that the knurls
deform the receptacle of the housing to conform about the knurls to define a semi-
rigid mount (Finding of Fact 4). We also agree with the Examiner (Answer 3) that
Ito discloses a jointing structure in which a rotor has a second hardness less than a
first hardness of the shaft (Findings of Fact 5 & 6). We further agree with the
Examiner (Answer 3-4) that Ito’s shaft is configured with knurls thereon oriented
parallel to an axis of the shaft and that Ito discloses pressing the knurls into the
rotor opening such that the knurls deform the rotor opening to confirm about the
knurls to define a firm joint (Finding of Fact 7).
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