Appeal No. 97-3070
Application 08/584,097
whether
a reference is from a nonanalogous art is first, whether it is
within the field of the inventor's endeavor, and second, if it
is not, whether it is reasonably pertinent to the particular
problem with which the inventor was involved. In re Wood, 599
F.2d 1032, 1036, 202 USPQ 171, 174 (CCPA 1979). A reference
is reasonably pertinent if, even though it may be in a
different field of endeavor, it is one which because of the
matter with which it deals, logically would have commended
itself to an inventor's attention in considering his problem.
In re Clay, 966 F.2d 656, 659, 23 USPQ2d 1058, 1061 (Fed. Cir.
1992).
It is true that Akers is not in the appellant's field of
endeavor. That is, Akers provides for the ease of adjustment
(see, e.g., column 7, lines 9-12) of a holder for a specific
article (i.e., an X-ray apparatus). Nevertheless, inasmuch as
both the appellant and Akers are concerned with providing
article holders that are easily adjustable, Akers is
reasonably pertinent to the appellant's problem of providing
for the ease of adjust-ment of an easel (which is likewise a
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