Appeal No. 97-1010
Application 08/147,815
acknowledged the following:
It should be noted that in Ohno, the start point of each partial pattern is
represented by an absolute position in a character coordinate system, and the start
point of each basic pattern is represented by a relative position from the origin point of
the partial pattern. (Emphasis in original.)
As determined by the examiner (answer at pages 4-5), partial patterns read on Ohno’s
character strokes, and basic patterns of the partial patterns read on Ohno’s partial borders defined in
relation to the baseline of each stroke. Thus, the baseline of each of Ohno’s strokes constitutes a
partial pattern origin. In Ohno, the borders and partial borders are local to the starting, ending, and
middle points of each stroke’s baseline (column 6, lines 5-31). The appellants raised no argument on
these points.
Because the variable "n" can take on the value of "1," the appellants’ argument attempting to
distinguish Ohno from the claimed invention on the basis of the 1/n coordinate system as recited in the
claims is without merit and thus rejected.
On page 19 of the appeal brief in lines 3-5, the appellants further state that in an adjusting
operation disclosed in Ohno, the size of the partial pattern coordinate system is changed in accordance
with the compound character. That, however, does not undermine any of the examiner’s findings
concerning Ohno. The examiner is correct that additional features disclosed in a prior art reference do
not affect the rejection of claims which do not require those features. The variable scaling feature of
Ohno is something additional to that relied on to reject the appellants’ claims. Moreover, not every
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