In re Lillich

This is an appeal from the decision of the Board of Appeals of the United States Patent Office affirming the rejection by the Primary Examiner of claims 1, 2, 3, and 5 of appellant’s application for a patent on a pipe union on the ground of lack of invention over the prior art. Claims 2 and 5 are typical of the appealed claims and read:

2. In a union, a pair of flat faced pipe receiving sections, means for maintaining said sections in abutting relation, a groove in the abutting end face of one of said sections, the mouth of said groove being reduced in width, a rubber O-ring adapted to be…