Appeal No. 93-3623 Page 17
Application 07/629,690
Hara
51. Hara teaches the use of a "column end fitting plug."
(2:35-36.)
Winter
52. Winter teaches threaded plugs 34 & 42. (2:29-32
& 45-47.)
Hrdina
53. Hrdina does not add any relevant teachings or
suggestions directed to the excerpted limitations.
The teachings of the art as a whole
54. We find that Hrdina, Winter, and Hara do not provide
sufficient guidance from which a person having ordinary skill in
the art could reasonably "determine the most appropriate cap
attachment means" (Paper 21 at 12) and come up with the
structural features recited in claim 19.
F. Additional findings
55. We find, based on the references, most of which are
assigned to, or otherwise appear to originate from, academic
research institutions, that the level of skill in the art is
quite high. In re GPAC Inc., 57 F.3d 1573, 1579, 35 USPQ2d 1116,
1121 (Fed. Cir. 1995).
56. To the extent that Appellant is urging that his results
are unexpectedly good, we find that his arguments and evidence of
record neither substantially support that finding nor
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