Appeal No. 95-2175
Application 08/100,332
According to the examiner, van der Hoek discloses an optical
fiber cable comprising a longitudinally extended cylindrical body
with helical grooves in the outer surface thereof. The examiner
has cited Saito to show that numerous types of waterblocking
materials are well know in the fiber optic cable art. It is the
examiner's conclusion that it would have been obvious to one of
ordinary skill in the art to achieve the advantages of
versatility taught by Saito in van der Hoek for the light
waveguide cable, as claimed, since van der Hoek mentions that the
migration of water through the grooves which accommodate the
optical fibers is also adequately prevented. See examiner's
answer page 4.
Pursuant to 37 CFR 1.192(c)(7) appellant states that
all claims on appeal should stand or fall together. Accordingly,
we limit our discussion to claim 1.
OPINION
We have carefully reviewed the rejection on appeal in
light of the arguments of the examiner and the appellant. As a
result of this review, we will affirm the examiner's rejection of
claims 1 through 5. Our reasons follow.
As an initial matter, we must interpret the claims on
appeal. The preamble of the independent claim on appeal clearly
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