Appeal 2007-2452
Application 10/421,761
1 OPINION
2 We affirm the aforementioned rejections.
3 Claims 1 and 4-91
4 Ichiryu discloses a solenoid device (2) coupled to a valve body (1) for
5 controlling the flow rate of hydraulic fluid (Ichiryu, col. 1, ll. 8-10; col. 3, ll. 61-
6 63). The solenoid device comprises a coil (17), a plunger (13) having at one end a
7 first rod (13a) surrounded by a bearing (15a) and having at the other end a second
8 rod (13b) surrounded by a bearing (15b), a plunger guide (11) into which the first
9 bearing is fitted, a lid body (14) into which the second bearing is fitted, and an
10 inner yoke (10) surrounding the plunger at its second rod end and separated from
11 the plunger guide by a protruding portion (18) of a polymeric bobbin frame (16)
12 (Ichiryu, col. 3, l. 63 – col. 4, l. 27; fig. 1). An outer yoke (19) surrounds the
13 plunger guide, bobbin frame, coil and inner yoke, and is fixed to the inner yoke
14 (Ichiryu, col. 4, ll. 28-31).
15 Bircann ‘875 discloses a solenoid used in mechanical linear actuators
16 (Bircann ‘875, col. 1, ll. 10-11). Bircann’875 teaches that it is important that a
17 bearing (40) fitted around a shaft (22’) be formed of a nonmagnetic material
18 because if the bearing were ferromagnetic, an armature for which the bearing acts
19 as a fixed stop to limit the armature’s travel would become magnetically attached
20 to the bearing, interfering with the actuator’s operation (Bircann ‘875, col. 3, ll. 29-
21 33).
22 Modien discloses an exhaust gas recirculation valve having, at each end of
23 an armature (135), a bearing (146, 148) with a through hole that compensates for
1 Although an additional reference (Bircann ‘226) is applied to claim 6, the
Appellants do not separately argue that claim (Br. 14).
3
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Next
Last modified: September 9, 2013