Appeal 2007-1594
Application 10/600,379
tubular member 42. The Examiner regards tubular member 42 and the associated
coupling 71 as the plug. The Examiner regards member 55 which is pivotally
connected to member 71 by a pin, which could be regarded as a clevis, as the neck
portion. It is our finding that the plug, as enumerated by the Examiner, is not
repositionably attached to the tub, and that the base portion is not attached to a
curved surface. Therefore, we do not find that claims 1-3 are anticipated by
Murray.
Landgrebe shows a self-aligning fastener system. The system relies on
frustoconical recesses 35, 55 formed adjacent the proximal end of one or more
bores. These recesses are beneficial in improving the alignment of a fastener
within its bore during assembly. See col.4, ll. 1-20.
Schroeder discloses a mounting arrangement for a stanchion placed upon a
moving vehicle such as an automobile. Schroeder discloses a hemispherical seat 8
or ball washer that cooperates with a hemispherical recess on the base of the
stanchion so that the coupling may be variably positioned to a vertical position or a
variable inclination according to the desired orientation of the stanchion.
PRINCIPLES OF LAW
The prior art may anticipate a claimed invention, and thereby render it
non-novel, either expressly or inherently. In re Cruciferous Sprout Litig., 301 F.3d
1343, 1349, 64 USPQ2d 1202, 1206 (Fed. Cir. 2002), cert. denied, 538 U.S. 907
(2003). Express anticipation occurs when the prior art expressly discloses each
limitation (i.e., each element) of a claim. Id. In addition, [i]t is well settled that a
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