Ex Parte BEAVEN et al - Page 5



          Appeal No.  2003-1619                                                       
          Application No.  09/442,888                                                 
          Cir. 1994).  Anticipation is established only when a single prior           
          art reference discloses, expressly or under the principles of               
          inherency, each and every element of a claimed invention as well            
          as disclosing structure which is capable of performing the                  
          recited functional limitations.  RCA Corp. v. Applied Digital               
          Data Sys. Inc., 730 F.2d 1440, 1444, 221 USPQ 385, 388 (Fed. Cir.           
          1984).                                                                      
               We observe that Herrmann relates to a database management              
          system for accessing shared information such as a multi-user                
          database system (col. 5, lines 1-9).  The database, as depicted             
          in Figures 1B and 1C, includes tables for organizing information            
          (col. 9, lines 9-13) in a desired order, using either index entry           
          or pointers (col. 9, lines 29-38).  Therefore, the data table of            
          Herrmann characterized by the Examiner as the “mapping table,”              
          merely provides for organizing information and facilitating the             
          user’s access to such information.  Although it may be reasonable           
          to equate the organization of these tables to some kind of                  
          “mapping,” contrary to the Examiner’s assertion, we do not find             
          that their function as the information tables in a shared                   
          database and accessible by multiple users is indicative of the              
          inherency of various claimed features in such database management           
          systems.  In fact, the Examiner has neither shown any evidence              

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