Appeal No. 95-2111
Application 07/771,173
It is thus apparent that the examiner’s concerns are directed
to the enablement rather than the description requirement of
the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. § 112.
Appellant’s disclosure states on page 7 that the
optical fiber end 12 has a silvered end surface so that
virtually no laser radiation leaves the tip portion apically.
In addition, appellant’s disclosure discusses on pages 6-8
various ways to form an “annular pattern” such as by forming
conical indentations on the tip portion, forming the tip
portion with a bulbous region having a convex rounded external
surface, doping the tip portion, and forming etch markings on
the tip portion. In our view, these discussions are
sufficient to teach the artisan how to prevent the laser beam
from burning away the root of the tooth canal, and how to form
an “annular pattern.”
The examiner also contends that the specification is
nonenabling because the specific energy density and
application time of the laser beam is not disclosed. In our
view, the Vassiliadis reference cited by the examiner against
the claims demonstrates (see, for example, column 5, lines 7-
16) that those of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the
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