Appeal 2007-2324
Application 10/629,775
of a laundry dryer made by painting pressed steel plate “has a poor aesthetic
quality from a design standpoint” because of its “simple flat surface” (id. at
3). “Moreover, even if the top cover is curved for better design, the top
cover of steel plate shows wrinkles on its periphery” (id.).
The Specification discloses a “top cover assembly for a laundry
dryer[] that separates the top cover from the fire resistant housing, thereby
allowing for a greater variety of materials and designs to be used on the top
surface while still preventing fire taking place in the laundry dryer from
spreading to the exterior” (id.).
DISCUSSION
1. CLAIMS
Claims 2-20 and 22-26 are pending and on appeal. Claim 26, the
broadest claim on appeal, is representative and reads as follows:
26. A laundry dryer top cover assembly comprising:
a top cover mounted on a side plate of a cabinet;
a fire plate disposed between the side plate and the top
cover for preventing fire from spreading outside the laundry
dryer; and
a cabinet holder configured to fasten the fire plate to the
side plate wherein the cabinet holder includes a plurality of
fastening pieces configured for insertion into the fire plate and
the side plate.
Thus, the assembly defined by claim 26 includes a top cover mounted
on a side plate of a cabinet, with a fire plate between the top cover and side
plate. The assembly also includes a “cabinet holder” that has a plurality of
fastening pieces that insert into both the fire plate and side plate.
It is well settled that “claims in an application are to be given their
broadest reasonable interpretation consistent with the specification, and that
2
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Next
Last modified: September 9, 2013