Appeal 2007-1549
Application 10/632,017
withdrawn from consideration and claims 15 and 24-27 have been canceled.
We have jurisdiction over this appeal under 35 U.S.C. § 6 (2002).
THE INVENTION
Appellants’ invention is directed to the sealing of a ball and socket
joint for wheel suspensions of motor vehicles that allows movement of a
sealing bellows in the ball and socket joint without damage to the sealing
bellows (Spec. 3:14-17). The ball and socket joint of the invention includes a
ball pivot (3) with a joint ball (3.1) inserted into a housing holding a bearing
shell (2) and a sealing bellows (4) between the housing (1) and the ball pivot
(3) (fig. 10). A key feature of Appellants’ invention is the sealing between
the sealing bellows (4) and the ball pivot (3). Specifically, a ball race (5) is
fitted to the ball pivot (3). A metallic, plastic or metal-plastic composite
sliding ring (6)1, having an axial leg (6.3) and a radial leg (6.4), is inserted
into the ball race (5) (Spec. 7:15-20). The ball race (5) has lugs (5.2) where
the radial leg (6.4) contacts the ball race (5) (fig. 3). The sealing bellows (4)
is then mounted between the ball race (5) and the sliding ring (6) so as to be
in direct sliding contact with the inner surface of the ball race (5) (Spec. 8:1-
4 and fig. 1).
Claim 1, the only independent claim, reads as follows:
1. A ball-and-socket joint, comprising:
a housing;
1 Appellants are advised that when providing a sectional view of a metallic,
plastic or metal-plastic composite structure the symbols recommended in
MPEP §608.02(IX) should be employed. Cross-hatching is not an
appropriate drawing symbol for a metallic, plastic or metal-plastic structure.
2
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