Appeal No. 1999-0356
Application 29/050,057
ordinary skill who designs articles of the type involved. See
In re Nalbandian, 661 F.2d 1214, 1217, 211 USPQ 782, 785 (CCPA
1981). Furthermore, as a starting point when a § 103 rejection
is based on a combination of references, there must be a
reference, a “something in existence,” the design
characteristics of which are basically the same as the claimed
design. Once a reference meets the test of a basic design
reference, ornamental features may
reasonably be interchanged with or added from those in other
pertinent references, when such references are “so related
that the appearance of certain ornamental features in one
would
suggest the application of those features to the other.” See
In re Rosen, 673 F.2d at 391, 213 USPQ at 350 (CCPA 1982); In
re Glavas, 230 F.2d 447, 450, 109 USPQ 50, 52(CCPA 1956); In
re Harvey, 12 F.3d 1061, 1063, 29 USPQ2d 1206, 1208 (Fed. Cir.
1993). If, however, the combined teachings of the applied
references suggest only components of the claimed design, but
not its overall appearance, an obviousness rejection is
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