Appeal No. 96-3021
Application 08/104,452
discloses a flash suppressor (1) that is threadedly attached (at
3) to the muzzle end of a smooth bore barrel (2) of a firearm.
While Hawley indicates, and shows in Figures 9 through 14, that
there may be a plurality of slots in the flash suppressor, it
is expressly noted at column 2, line 61, that these slots need
only "total at least two." Thus, appellant's argument in the
brief (page 5) that Hawley fails to teach a pair of opposed
furcations formed by a pair of opposed slots is unpersuasive.
As for the assertion that Hawley does not disclose a shotgun as
claimed, we note again that independent claim 5 on appeal does
not set forth a shotgun or shotgun barrel, and that with regard
to claim 1, one of ordinary skill in the art would have
understood from the definition of a "shotgun" in the Glossary of
Ordnance Terms that the smooth bore firearm disclosed in Hawley
encompasses a shotgun. In this regard, we note that our
reviewing Court has indicated that a reference anticipates a
claim if it discloses the claimed invention such that a skilled
artisan could take its teachings in combination with his own
knowledge of the particular art and be in possession of the
invention. See In re Graves, 69 F.3d 1147, 1152, 36 USPQ2d 1697,
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