Ex parte DECKER - Page 4




                Appeal No. 96-1820                                                                                                            
                Application No. 08/189,140                                                                                                    


                in weight and size than a regulation baseball  used in game                3                                                  
                situations, but which has the same “feel” and “dynamic                                                                        
                characteristics” as a regulation baseball.  According to the                                                                  
                appellant, the inventive baseball is more challenging to hit in                                                               
                batting practice, which results in improving the player’s ability                                                             
                to hit a regulation baseball.  See specification, page 3.                                                                     
                         As we understand the rejection, it is the examiner’s                                                                 
                position that since the construction and materials of a                                                                       
                regulation baseball are known, as acknowledged in the cited                                                                   
                portions of the appellant’s specification, and since it is known                                                              
                from Junior Balls to make baseballs smaller in size than a                                                                    
                regulation baseball, it would have been obvious to one of                                                                     
                ordinary skill in the art reduce the size of all of the                                                                       
                components of a regulation baseball proportionally, suggestion                                                                
                being found in the desire to permit use by smaller players.  The                                                              
                examiner further opines that the appellant has failed to                                                                      
                establish that the claimed dimensions are critical.  See Answer,                                                              
                pages 4 and 5.                                                                                                                


                         3The examiner and the appellant have agreed that the term                                                            
                “regulation baseball” defines a baseball that meets the                                                                       
                requirements of Rule 1.09 of the Official Baseball Rules, which                                                               
                governs amateur and professional baseball in the United States,                                                               
                as has been referenced on page 1 of the appellant’s specification                                                             
                and described on page 2 of the Brief.                                                                                         
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