In re Cohen

133 F.2d 924, 30 C.C.P.A. 876, 56 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 567, 1943 CCPA LEXIS 23
CourtCourt of Customs and Patent Appeals
DecidedFebruary 1, 1943
DocketNo. 4592
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 133 F.2d 924 (In re Cohen) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Customs and Patent Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re Cohen, 133 F.2d 924, 30 C.C.P.A. 876, 56 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 567, 1943 CCPA LEXIS 23 (ccpa 1943).

Opinion

Leneoot, Judge,

delivered the opinion of the court:

This is an appeal from a decision of the Board of Appeals of the United States Patent Office rejecting claims 4 to 7 inclusive, 13, 15 [878]*878to 18 inclusive, 20, 22, 23, 24, 26, 27, and 28 of appellant’s application for a patent.

Claims 19, 21 and 25 were also rejected by the Primary Examiner, but the board reversed Ms decision respecting these claims and they stand allowed.

Claims 4 and 27 are illustrative of the involved subject matter and read as follows:

4. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of an alternating current energized electronic tube circuit and a grid circuit therefor including an electrode adapted to be contacted by a flame for controlling the potential applied to the grid in accordance with said flame and means for applying an alternating potential to said grid through the flame.
27. The combination of ionized contacting path means, an electronic device including a plate circuit responsive to normal presence of an ionized path to provide one predetermined current level and responsive to a diminution of said path to provide another predetermined level, said device and first means having means associated therewith for causing the plate circuit to assume a third predetermined level in response to grounding of said first means and control means in plate circuit operable in accordance with said levels.

The references cited are:

Knowles, 1,809,280, June 9, 1931.
Breisky et al., 1,899,744, February 28, 1933.
McDill, 1,980,816, November 13; 1934.

As'is apparent from the above quoted claims, appellant’s alleged invention relates to an electrical system.’ With respect thereto, the Board of Appeals in its decision stated:

The appealed claims relate to an electrical system for controlling the burner of a furnace in accordance with the condition of the pilot light. Applicant’s system provides as one condition that if the pilot light is burning the main burner may operate, as a second condition, if the pilot light is out the main burner will be automatically turned off and as a third condition, if the electrode that stands in a position in the pilot flame should become disarranged to contact with the pilot burner to produce a short circuit the main burner will be turned off through a supplemental relay.

The control system shown by appellant operates on alternating current. Of the claims before us, Nos. 4 to 7 inclusive and 15 were rejected by the examiner upon Knowles in view of McDill. Claims 5 to 7 were further rejected as drawn to new matter, as were claims 17 to 21, 24, and 26 to 28. Claims 18 and 16 were rejected as broader than appellant’s invention. Claims 17 to 20 and 23 to 28 were further rejected as vague and indefinite. Claim 22 was rejected as “vague, indefinite and broader than appellant’s'invention.” Claims 23, 26, 27 and 28 were further rejected as unpatentable over the patent to Knowles.

All of the claims were further rejected upon the ground of multiplicity.

[879]*879During the prosecution of the application certain amendments thereof were made. The Board of Appeals reversed the rejection of the examiner based upon new matter except as to claims 17, 18, and 20. As to these three claims the board affirmed the decision of the examiner holding that they were drawn to new matter not disclosed in the application as filed. It also affirmed the decision of the examiner rejecting claims 4, 5, 6,7, and 15 upon Knowles in view of McDill, but reversed his decision with respect to claim 25 and held that the same was allowable. It also reversed the examiner’s rejection of claims 13 and 16 upon the ground of being broader than the invention, but with respect to these claims the board further stated:

The rejection of claims 13 and 16 upon Knowles taken with Breisky et al. is affirmed. Invention is not believed involved in so broadly merely associating a safety or lock out relay such as shown by Breisky et al. with the system of Knowles. In fact Knowles has an equivalent element in the latch 95 which automatically locks the burner in oft condition when turned to that position by the rest of the system.

We find nothing in the record to indicate that the examiner ‘ rejected claims 13 and 16 upon Knowles taken with Briesky et al., but it was competent for the board to reject claims upon a new ground and appellant has not taken exception thereto other than as to the merits of the rejection.

The board reversed the examiner’s decision holding that claims 17, 18, 20, 23, 24, 26, 27, and 28 are vague and indefinite but affirmed his decision in that regard with respect to claim 22; it affirmed the decision of the examiner rejecting claims 23, 26, 27, and 28 upon Knowles; it reversed the examiner’s rejection of all of the claims upon the ground of multiplicity.

All of the references relate to electrical control systems. The patents to Knowles and to Breisky et al. relate primarily to the use of such systems in connection with furnaces using a liquid or gaseous fuel.

The patent to Knowles discloses a system employing direct current; the patent to McDill discloses the employment of an alternating current in the operation of his system.

With respect to the disclosure in the patent to Breisky et al., appellant challenges the statements of the examiner with respect to the functioning of the structure there disclosed.

A detailed explanation of appellant’s system and the systems disclosed by the references could be understood, only by a reproduction here of many drawings, which, in view of certain conclusions reached by us, we deem unnecessary.

Such discussion of the references as is deemed necessary will be had in the consideration of the various grounds of rejection of the claims.

[880]*880Before proceeding to a discussion of the claims we would observe,, as is apparent from the hereinbefore quoted claims, that the questions involved are highly technical, involving an intimate knowledge of the electrical art. Practically all of the record consists of matters addressed to those skilled in the electrical art, and presumably the Patent Office tribunals passing upon appellant’s application were thoroughly familiar with the art involved. Therefore, in accordance with the general rule concerning such matters, we would be warranted in reversing the decision appealed from only if it appears to us that such decision is manifestly wrong. In Re Bertsch, 30 C. C. P. A. (Patents) 813, and cases cited.

We now come to a consideration of the grounds of rejection of the various claims.

As hereinbefore stated, claims 4, 5, 6,1, and 15 were rejected upon the patent to Knowles in view of the patent to McDill.

Both the examiner and board held that it would not involve invention to change the direct current system of Knowles to an alternating current system as taught by McDill, and that this group of claims would read upon Knowles, so changed.

. The examiner expressly held that such substitution would be within the skill of an electrician.

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Bluebook (online)
133 F.2d 924, 30 C.C.P.A. 876, 56 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 567, 1943 CCPA LEXIS 23, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-cohen-ccpa-1943.