Ex Parte Hayes - Page 2

                  Appeal 2007-1584                                                                                         
                  Application 10/689,337                                                                                   


                                           STATEMENT OF THE CASE                                                           
                         The field of the invention is “hand tools and, in particular, . . . weed                          
                  extraction tools” (Specification (“Spec.”) 1).                                                           
                         Claims 1, 4-7, 10-16, and 19 are on appeal.2  The claimed subject                                 
                  matter is reflected in representative claim 1 (emphasis added to the disputed                            
                  language):                                                                                               
                         1. (Original) A tool, comprising:                                                                 
                         a body member having a longitudinal axis;                                                         
                         a blade fixed to said body;                                                                       
                         an arcuate support spaced from said longitudinal axis and                                         
                         having a length; and                                                                              
                         a web substantially spanning said arcuate support and said                                        
                         body along said length of said arcuate support.                                                   

                                                     DISCUSSION                                                            
                  Claims 1, 4, 5, 7, 11-14, and 16                                                                         
                         The Examiner has rejected claims 1, 4, 5, 7, 11-14, and 16 under 35                               
                  U.S.C. § 103(a) over DeArmond, U.S. Patent 5,609,325 (Mar. 11, 1997) and                                 
                  Weisgerber, U.S. Patent 4,368,874 (Jun. 18, 1983).  DeArmond discloses all                               
                  the limitations of claim 1, except the web (see FIG. 1); and Weisgerber                                  
                  discloses a web (FIG. 1 (brace 48)).                                                                     
                                                                                                                          
                  2 Claims 2, 3, 8, 9, 17, and 18 are “objected to as being dependent upon a                               
                  rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form                             
                  including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims”                           
                  (Office Action at 4 (mailed 12/05/2005); Interview Summary Record at 2                                   
                  (mailed January 20, 2006)).                                                                              


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