Ex parte KELLY et al. - Page 4




          Appeal No. 96-2296                                                          
          Application 08/091,894                                                      



                    a compact packing may be formed to save                           
                    storage space when the trays are empty.                           
          Appellants argue on pages 7 and 8 of their brief that, in                   
          essence (1) Van Onstein does not disclose a tray with tapered               
          free standing pillars spaced about the periphery of the base;               
          (2) deLarosiere “merely discloses a tray having a single                    
          tapered supporting pillar 40 located substantially in the                   
          center of the center of the square defined by the four ver-                 
          texes 30A, 30B, 30C and 30D,” which “is dimensioned to fit                  
          within a space between four bottles of a six pack”; and (3)                 
          the combination of                                                          
          references,                                                                 


                    therefore, does not contemplate the problem                       
                    solved by the claimed structure as set out                        
                    in these claims and therefore the factual                         
                    predicate necessary to establish a prima                          
                    facie case of obviousness has not been                            
                    demonstrated.                                                     
                    After fully considering the record in light of the                
          arguments presented by appellants and the examiner, we con-                 
          clude that the subject matter recited in claim 1 is unpatent-               
          able under 35 U.S.C. § 103.                                                 

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