Appeal No. 94-3631
Application 07/883,513
uniform, yet highly diffuse [brief, pages 11-12]. The examiner replies that the lamp in Concannon
is in the integrated environment of many other modules and subunits, and that the treatment of the
surfaces to be highly diffusive is inherent [answer, pages 8-9]. Once again, we find ourselves in
agreement with the position taken by appellants.
The claims recite that the illumination source means has the lamp means and the reflecting-
diffusive surfaces as part of an integrated housing or vessel. Concannon has no such housing or
vessel which integrates the lamp means and the reflecting-diffusive surfaces. It is error to
consider everything in the Concannon imaging unit as meeting the claimed integrated housing or
vessel. The lamp means and the reflecting-diffusive surfaces must be separately contained in an
integrated housing or vessel. Concannon does not meet this limitation.
We also agree with appellants that the examiner erred in finding that every lamp generates a
highly-uniform, yet highly diffuse illumination beam, and that the surfaces of Concannon are
inherently diffusive. There is nothing on this record to support these positions of the examiner.
Since Concannon does not disclose every limitation of claims 22-33, we do not sustain the
rejection of these claims under 35 U.S.C. § 102.
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