Appeal No. 97-4080
Application 08/432,079
35 U.S.C. § 103 as unpatentable over Kopmar in view of
Carlson and Threlfall. According to the examiner, Kopmar
teaches a stand for holding containers. The stand comprises
table member 11 and a support stand 10 removably connected to
the table member via a socket in the bottom of the table
member. The table member has a plastic deck 12, 13 having
cup shaped receptacles 15 under its openings 16. Kopmar does
not show a tripod base, nor does it show a downwardly
depending peripheral flange. The examiner has relied on
Carlson to teach a table member having a downwardly depending
peripheral flange wherein the bottom walls of the flange
appear to have substantially the same or greater depth than
the depth of the receptacles located in the table member.
According to the examiner, it would have been obvious to
modify the table member of Kopmar by adding a downwardly
depending peripheral flange thereto. The motivation for this
combination of references is, according to the examiner, for
aesthetic purposes. Finally, the examiner also states that
it would have been obvious to use the tripod stand support of
Threlfall as an alternative to the sharpened supporting stand
of Kopmar to provide a more stable means of support.
3
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Next
Last modified: November 3, 2007