Ex parte STEKETEE - Page 9




          Appeal No. 1997-4430                                                        
          Application 08/421,463                                                      


          21) also reveals the importance of the passages 86, 88, and 89              
          in enabling steam or other hot fluid to pass full-length                    
          through the folded pipe for reheating and reworking after the               
          folded pipe is installed.                                                   


               Turning now to the Laurent and Hyodo references, we are                
          of the opinion that these documents, collectively considered,               
          would not have been suggestive of the subject matter of claims              
          39 and 65 to one having ordinary skill in the art.  We, of                  
          course, certainly appreciate some visual similarity between                 
          the tubular fabric 5 of Hyodo (Fig. 1) when considered                      
          relative to the configuration shown in appellant’s Fig. 8.                  
          However, the teaching of Hyodo must be considered as a whole                
          in conjunction with the overall disclosure of Laurent.  From                
          that perspective, the tubular fabric 5 must fairly be viewed                
          in its proper context, i.e., as a component part, with open                 
          holes 9, that acts together with a tubular fabric 2 and a                   
          binder 11 to form a lining material 1 for a pipe 10 (Fig. 4),               
          when the composite is turned inside out.  As we see it, only                
          reliance upon appellant’s own teaching, and not the applied                 


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