Ex parte PHILLIPSON - Page 20




          Appeal No. 1998-3413                                                        
          Application No. 08/512,782                                                  


          planter industry in the last 5 years," we have no evidence in               
          this record as to exactly why the buyer in question was of                  
          that opinion, and no evidence that the opinion of the buyer                 
          was the result of the unique features of the claimed subject                
          matter.                                                                     


          Moreover, with further regard to appellant's assertions                     
          of commercial success, while it is true that there is evidence              
          of record that sales approximating 4.5 million dollars worth                
          of the TERRAGLAZE product were made in FY 96 and additional                 
          sales in the millions were made in the first half of FY 97, we              
          note that such sales figures alone are entitled to little                   
          weight in the absence of other evidence regarding a defined                 
          market, appellant's market share, growth in the market, or                  
          replacement of earlier units sold by others or by appellant,                
          and evidence of nexus between the sales made and the                        
          invention's merits.  See Kansas Jack, Inc. v. Kuhn, supra.                  
          Accordingly, on this record, we find that appellant’s                       
          proffered evidence of commercial success is entitled to little              
          weight in the overall determination of obviousness of the                   


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