Ex parte ALVEY et al. - Page 4




          Appeal No. 96-0310                                                          
          Application 08/084,502                                                      


          level of skill in the particular art would have suggested to                
          one of ordinary skill in the art the obviousness of the                     
          invention as set forth in claims 1-18.  Accordingly, we                     
          affirm.                                                                     
          Appellants have nominally indicated that the claims do                      
          not stand or fall together [brief, page 2], but they have not               
          specifically argued the limitations of each of the claims.                  
          The extent of appellants' arguments appears at the bottom of                
          page 3 of the brief wherein it is baldly asserted that the                  
          prior art does not teach or suggest features of the claims                  
          with no analysis or discussion of obviousness whatsoever.                   
          Simply pointing out what a claim requires with no attempt to                
          point out how the claims patentably distinguish over the prior              
          art does not amount to a separate argument for patentability.               
          See In re Nielson, 816 F.2d 1567, 1572, 2 USPQ2d 1525, 1528                 
          (Fed. Cir. 1987).  At the time appellants' brief was filed, 37              
          CFR § 1.192(6)(iv) required that "the argument shall specify                
          the errors in the rejection and, if appropriate, the specific               
          limitations in the rejected claims which are not described in               
          the prior art relied on in the rejection, and shall explain                 
          how such limitations render the claimed subject matter                      
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