Ex Parte YAMAMOTO - Page 7



          Appeal No. 2001-0713                                                        
          Application 09/016,304                                                      

          (1988); Ashland Oil, Inc. v. Delta Resins & Refractories, Inc.,             
          776 F.2d 281, 293, 227 USPQ 657, 664 (Fed. Cir. 1985), cert.                
          denied, 475 U.S. 1017 (1986); ACS Hosp. Sys., Inc. v. Montefiore            
          Hosp., 732 F.2d 1572, 1577, 221 USPQ 929, 933 (Fed. Cir. 1984).             
          These showings by the examiner are an essential part of complying           
          with the burden of presenting a prima facie case of obviousness.            
          Note In re Oetiker, 977 F.2d 1443, 1445, 24 USPQ2d 1443, 1444               
          (Fed. Cir. 1992).  If that burden is met, the burden then shifts            
          to the applicant to overcome the prima facie case with argument             
          and/or evidence.  Obviousness is then determined on the basis of            
          the evidence as a whole and the relative persuasiveness of the              
          arguments.  See Id.; In re Hedges, 783 F.2d 1038, 1039, 228 USPQ            
          685, 686 (Fed. Cir. 1986); In re Piasecki, 745 F.2d 1468, 1472,             
          223 USPQ 785, 788 (Fed. Cir. 1984); and In re Rinehart, 531 F.2d            
          1048, 1052, 189 USPQ 143, 147 (CCPA 1976).  Only those arguments            
          actually made by appellant have been considered in this decision.           
          Arguments which appellant could have made but chose not to make             
          in the brief have not been considered and are deemed to be waived           
          by appellant [see 37 CFR § 1.192(a)].                                       
          With respect to the rejection of claim 1 based on Ogawa                     
          taken alone, the examiner finds that Ogawa teaches the claimed              
          invention except for the shape of the disc and a radial                     
                                         -7-                                          




Page:  Previous  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12  Next 

Last modified: November 3, 2007