Appeal No. 95-3598 Application 08/125,671 tion for patent) enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the claimed invention. Although the statute does not say so, enablement requires that the specification teach those skilled in the art to make and use the invention without "undue experimentation." In re Wands, 858 F.2d 731, 737, 8 USPQ2d 1400, 1404 (Fed. Cir. 1988). That some experimentation may be required is not fatal; the issue is whether the amount of experimentation required is "undue." Id. at 736-37, 8 USPQ2d at 1404. Moreover, in rejecting a claim for lack of enablement, it is well settled that the examiner has the initial burden of producing reasons that substantiate the rejection. See In re Strahilevitz, 668 F.2d 1229, 1232, 212 USPQ 561, 563 (CCPA 1982); In re Marzocchi, 439 F.2d 220, 224, 169 USPQ 367, 370 (CCPA 1971). Once this is done, the burden shifts to the appellant to rebut this conclusion by presenting evidence to prove that the disclosure in the specification is enabling. See In re Doyle, 482 F.2d 1385, 1392, 179 USPQ 227, 232 (CCPA 1973); cert. denied, 5Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 NextLast modified: November 3, 2007