Appeal 2007-3496
Application 10/344,472
Claim 1 illustrates Appellants’ invention of a control method for
providing a gas flow and a combustion air flow in a gas-air mixture to a
burner to produce a burner flame, and is representative of the claims on
appeal.
1. A control method for providing a gas flow and a combustion air
flow in a gas-air mixture to a burner to produce a burner flame, and for using
a sensor that produces an ionization signal to adapt the gas-air mixture to
different gas qualities, the method comprising the steps of:
optically determining when the burner flame sweeps over the sensor;
using the ionization signal of the sensor for setting a mixing ratio of
the gas-air mixture when the burner flame sweeps over the sensor; and
setting the mixing ratio of the gas-air mixture based on the gas flow
and the combustion air flow when the burner flame does not sweep over the
sensor.
The Examiner relies on the evidence in these references:
de Haan US 4,595,353 Jun. 17, 1986
Sebastiani WO 97/36135 Oct. 2, 1997
The Examiner applies de Haan in view of Sebastiani to all the claims
under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a), the ground of rejection submitted for review on
appeal by Appellants (Answer 3-6; Br. 7).
The claimed method encompassed by claim 1 comprises at least the
steps of optically determining when the burner flame sweeps over a sensor
that produces an ionization signal, using the ionization signal when the
burner sweeps over the sensor to set a gas-air mixing ratio, and when the
burner does not sweep over the sensor, setting the gas-air mixing ratio based
on the gas flow and the combustion air flow.
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