In re Spence

Appellant asks us to reverse the decision of the Patent Office Board of Appeals which affirms the final rejection of a single claim of his application serial No. 324,919, filed December 9, 1952, for Flexible Coupling. The only question is patentability over prior art.

The invention relates to means for flexibly coupling two lengths of rigid pipe, particularly heavy-duty pipe such as is used in dredging-operations. The objects of the invention are flexibility at the joint, ruggedness, and prevention of accidental detachment of the coupling-parts.

Appellant provides a rubber sleeve having a bore…