Ex parte MALMBORG - Page 4




          Appeal No. 98-0353                                                          
          Application 08/561,463                                                      


          of the brief is considered.  In fact, appellant acknowledges                
          on page 10 of the brief that, with regard to the opposing                   
          sides limitations, "[s]ince the tip member must be planar and               
          consistent with Applicant's disclosure, only one geometry, a                
          regular elongated quadrilateral, fits these constraints."                   
               Turning to claim 4, we do not find any indefiniteness.                 
          While the curvature may be broadly recited, breadth of a claim              
          is not to be equated with indefiniteness.  See MPEP § 2173.04.              
               Accordingly, we consider the bounds of the subject matter              
          recited in claims 1 to 5 to be distinct, and will not sustain               
          rejection (1).                                                              
          Rejection (2)                                                               
               Clift discloses a kitchen utensil which is of the same                 
          general shape as that claimed by appellant.  The blade A of                 
          the utensil is disclosed as "flexible and made of rubber or a               
          suitable rubber composition" (p. 1, col. 2, lines 52 to 54),                
          the utensil being used "for scraping purposes in the cleaning               
          of pots, pans, dishes, and similar articles" (p. 1, col. 1,                 
          lines 1 to 3).  The blade has straight scraping edges 10 and                
          11 on each side.  Shumway discloses a dish scrubber having a                
          round body 14 of foam material 15, there being radial grooves               
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