Appeal 2007-2107
Application 10/190,123
carriers interconnected only in rows after the web is advanced from the
punch press (Br. 7-10). Independent claim 1 is illustrative of the invention
and is reproduced below:
1. A method of forming plastic carriers for containers, said
method comprising steps of:
providing a web of carrier material by welding at least two sheets
together;
forming carriers in the web in adjacent rows and adjacent ranks, with
adjacent carriers in a row remaining connected to each other and adjacent
carriers in a rank remaining connected to each other, said forming including
removing material from the web to form apertures in the nature of loops for
holding containers, a handle and a truss-like suspension between the handle
and the apertures;
advancing the web of formed carriers; and
after forming said carriers in adjacent rows and adjacent ranks, and
after advancing the web of formed carriers interconnected in rows and in
ranks, separating carriers within said ranks to leave carriers interconnected
only in said rows.
The Examiner has relied on the following prior art references as
evidence of obviousness:
Fisher US 3,044,230 Jul. 17, 1962
Marco US 5,072,829 Dec. 17, 1991
Broskow US 5,487,465 Jan. 30, 1996
Jackson US 6,394,330 B1 May 28, 2002
ISSUES ON APPEAL
Claims 1-6, 8, 9, 13, 14, 16, 19, and 20 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C.
§ 103(a) as unpatentable over Broskow in view of Fisher and Jackson
(Answer 3).
2
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Next
Last modified: September 9, 2013