Ex Parte GILLIHAN et al - Page 1




                The opinion in support of the decision being entered today was not written for publication and is not binding precedent of the Board.
                                                                                                  Paper No. 28              
                           UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE                                                        
                                                       ____________                                                         
                                 BEFORE THE BOARD OF PATENT APPEALS                                                         
                                                AND INTERFERENCES                                                           
                                                       ____________                                                         
                           Ex parte THOMAS M. GILLIHAN and LARRY ALAN WESTERMAN                                             
                                                       ____________                                                         
                                                   Appeal No. 2003-0549                                                     
                                                Application No. 09/149,408                                                  
                                                       ____________                                                         
                                                         ON BRIEF                                                           
                                                       ____________                                                         
              Before SMITH, FLEMING, and BARRY, Administrative Patent Judges.                                               
              BARRY, Administrative Patent Judge.                                                                           


                                                  DECISION ON APPEAL                                                        
                     A patent examiner rejected claims 1, 5-11, 15, 16, 20, and 21.  The appellants                         
              appeal therefrom under 35 U.S.C. § 134(a).  We affirm-in-part.                                                


                                                     BACKGROUND                                                             
                     The invention at issue on appeal is an interface for formatting documents to be                        
              printed by a computer.  (Spec. at 1.)  "Electronic documents" are data files created with                     
              a word processing, spreadsheet, database, drawing, or other application program.  (Id.                        
              at 2.)  A computer can generally reproduce electronic documents as hard copy or                               
              printed output.  Computer printers feature a printing quality rivaling that of traditional                    






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