Appeal 2007-1793
Application 10/911,196
1. Hubweber discloses a gas spring comprising a cylinder 1, within
which is provided a piston rod 2 with a piston 3 (Hubweber, col. 1,
ll. 49-50).
2. Hubweber further discloses a locking arrangement comprised of a
wall 4, a collet 7, a spring 9, and a clamping collar 12 (Hubweber, col.
2, ll. 1-6; Fig. 1).
3. In particular, Hubweber discloses that when the pressure within the
cylinder 1 is lowered below a predetermined value, the spring 9
presses the wall 4 downwards so that the collet 7 engages the collar 12
and the collet 7 thus frictionally engages the piston rod 2 so that the
piston rod 2 is blocked or braked (Hubweber, col. 2, ll. 11-17).
4. Hubweber shows that the cylinder 1 extends from a closed lower end
(not shown in the figures) (Hubweber, col. 1, ll. 52-53) to an inwardly
offset upper edge which holds a disk 10 (Hubweber, col. 1, l. 68 –
col. 2, l. 1).
5. As such, all of Hubweber’s braking elements, viz, wall 4, collet 7,
spring 9, and collar 12, are disposed entirely within the internal
chamber of cylinder 1 (Hubweber, Fig. 1).
6. Accordingly, Hubweber does not disclose “a portion of said locking
arrangement positioned outwardly of said top end of said housing.”
7. Hubweber discloses that collar 12 is axially fixed with respect to the
cylinder 1 (Hubweber, col. 2, ll. 5-6).
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