Appeal 2007-3992
Application 10/347,867
7. As can be seen from Figure 1, the discharge end 2, scraper 25, and
garniture tongue 7 are opposite garniture bed 6, which comprises rod
guiding surface 12. (867 Application at ¶ 46, 9:9–20.)
8. A “rod” of tobacco is transported from suction conveyer 3 along
tobacco channel 9 and encounters wrapper material strip 18 at the entrance
to the intake cone 13. (867 Application at ¶ 47, 9:25 –10:7.)
9. The rod of tobacco is then shaped by the rod guide surface 12 and,
successively, the intake end 24 of scraper 25, rod guide surface 21, which is
the shaped undersurface of scraper 25, and rod guide surface 23, which is the
shaped undersurface of garniture tongue 7. (867 Application at ¶ 46,
9:16-21 and at ¶ 48, 10:10–21.)
10. The shaped rod of tobacco and the wrapper material pass through rod
channel 14 through garniture section 8 for finishing. (867 Application
at ¶ 46, 9:18–20.)
11. According to the specification, “[t]he geometric design of garniture
tongue 7 can also be different from that depicted in Figures 1 and 2 . . . it is
contemplated that garniture tongue 7 can have alternative shapes.”
(867 Application at ¶ 53, 12:19-23)
12. Consistently with the definition of a garniture tongue as a forming and
compression surface of a compression mold and the disclosed variability of
the garniture tongue geometry, Muller states that "[g]arniture tongue 7
includes a rod guide surface 12 (Page 9, lines 17-21; Figure 1), and at least
an intake end 24 (Page 11, lines 8 and 9; Figures 1 and 3) of said garniture
tongue 7 being at least composed in part of a steel alloy with high titanium
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Last modified: September 9, 2013