Appeal No. 1998-2095
Application No. 08/460,311
inner wall of said vessel by initiating a non-
perforating, inflammatory response between said
intraluminal vascular graft and said inner wall of said
vessel. . . .
The examiner describes Lazarus as disclosing the
invention substantially as claimed, except for the step of
attaching the graft to the inner wall of the vessel by
initiating a non-perforating, inflammatory response between
the graft and the inner wall of the vessel (Answer, pages 4
and 5). Instead, Lazarus teaches attaching the graft to the
wall of the lumen with staples or anchoring elements 16, 17
(see col. 3, lines 50-65 and Figure 2). Barone is cited by
the examiner for teaching a vascular graft securing means 165
including a thin-walled member 166 having a smooth outer wall
surface 169 (Answer, page 5). It is the examiner’s position
that it would have been obvious to modify the method taught by
Lazarus by replacing the vascular
graft of Lazarus with the graft taught by Barone in order “to
prevent perforation of the blood vessel” (id.) As to the step
of attaching the vascular graft to the inner wall of the
5
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