Appeal No. 96-2864 Application 08/048,503 audio signal and reproducing of at least one of the first and second audio signals, or (3) alter by a predetermined interval a position on the disk-shaped recording medium from which a recorded audio signal is reproduced. It is not evident, however, that Willetts discloses, or would have suggested, the particular “means” recited in claims 1, 7 and 8 for performing these operations. Accordingly, we shall not sustain the standing 35 U.S.C. § 102(b) rejection of independent claims 1, 7 and 8, or of dependent claims 2 through 6 and 13, as being anticipated by Willetts, or the standing 35 U.S.C. § 103 rejection of dependent claims 11 and 12 as being unpatentable over Willetts. With additional regard to the 35 U.S.C. § 103 rejection, the examiner has failed to present an adequate evidentiary showing that a voice recording and reproducing apparatus having the variable speed features recited in claims 11 and 12, which are conceded to be lacking in Willetts, would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art. The citation of new references under the “Response to Argument” heading in the main answer to -7-Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 NextLast modified: November 3, 2007