Appeal No. 2004-1341
Application No. 09/806,220
As indicated above, Manten expressly teaches away from
cylindrical or round drill string threads in favor of conical
drill string threads. Jansson teaches cylindrical or round drill
string threads having a number of specifically dimensioned and
interrelated parameters including pitch and crest radius of
curvature. Given the divergent natures of these teachings, the
only suggestion for selectively combining Manten’s conical thread
with the particular pitch and crest radius of curvature
dimensions of Jansson’s cylindrical or round thread stems from
hindsight knowledge impermissibly derived from the appellant’s
disclosure. Furthermore, the combined teachings of these
references provide little, if any, factual support for the
examiner’s determination that the pitch and crest radius of
curvature of Manten’s conical thread are result effective
variables whose optimization would have been within the skill of
the art.
Accordingly, we shall not sustain the standing 35 U.S.C.
§ 103(a) rejection of claim 1 as being unpatentable over Manten
in view of Jansson.
As the examiner’s application of Yao does not cure the above
noted shortcomings of Manten and Jansson relative to the subject
matter recited in parent claim 1, we also shall not sustain the
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