Appeal No. 97-0739
Application 08/163,265
Our evaluation of the obviousness issues raised in this
appeal has included a careful assessment of appellants'
specification and claims, the applied prior art references, and
the respective positions advanced by appellants and the examiner.
As a consequence of our review, we have reached the conclusion
that
none of the examiner's rejections before us on appeal will be
sustained. Our reasons follow.
Looking at the basic combination of Smith and Sturges,
we share the examiner's view (answer, pages 4-5) that it would
have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art from the
combined teachings of Smith and Sturges to replace the rod or
pole receiving aperture (438) of the hanger aid (410) of Smith
Figure 6 with an open bottom receiving member having a hollow
interior which is tapered upwardly to temporarily receive an
end of a pole and to have such receiving member mounted on the
forward edge (418) and offset from the body of the hanger (410),
as suggested in Sturges. Where we part company with the examiner
is in the further conclusion that it would have been merely "a
5
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