Ex parte NAGAOKA - Page 3




          Appeal No. 96-2354                                                          
          Application No. 08/147,086                                                  


               Claims 15-20 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as                   
          being unpatentable over Anderson in view of Yasui, Koike and                
          King.                                                                       
               The rejection is explained in the Examiner's Answer and                
          Supplemental Answer.                                                        
               The opposing viewpoints of the appellant are set forth in              
          the Appeal Brief and the Reply Brief.                                       


                                       OPINION                                        
               The rejection is on the basis of obviousness, the test                 
          for which is what the combined teachings of the prior art                   
          would have suggested to one of ordinary skill in the art.  See              
          In re Keller, 642 F.2d 413, 425, 208 USPQ 871, 881 (CCPA                    
          1981).  In establishing a prima facie case of obviousness, it               
          is incumbent upon the examiner to provide a reason why one of               
          ordinary skill in the art would have been led to modify a                   
          prior art reference or to combine reference teachings to                    
          arrive at the claimed invention.  See Ex parte Clapp, 227 USPQ              
          972, 973 (Bd. Pat. App. & Int. 1985).  To this end, the                     
          requisite motivation must stem from some teaching, suggestion               


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