Ex parte NIEMIER - Page 11




          Appeal No. 98-0964                                                           
          Application 08/557,436                                                       


          utility application is not entitled under 35 U.S.C. § 120 to                 
          benefit of the earlier filing date of the ‘506 design                        
          application.  The fact that some of the elements of the                      
          presently claimed subject matter                                             




          have support in the earlier filed design application does not                
          alter this determination, because as to given claimed subject                
          matter, such as that set forth in independent claim 23 on                    
          appeal, only one effective filing date is applicable.  See In                
          re van Langenhoven, 458 F.2d 132, 137, 173 USPQ 426, 429 (CCPA               
          1972).                                                                       

          Since appellant has not otherwise contested the examiner's                   
          rejection of claims 23 through 34 under 35 U.S.C. § 102(b), we               
          sustain the examiner's rejection of those claims on the basis of             
          the prior  sale  of  the  invention  which  appellant  concedes              
          occurred in April 1994.                                                      

           Turning next to the examiner's rejection of claims 23                       
          through 34 under the judicially created doctrine of double                   
          patenting over the claim of appellant’s prior U.S. Design Patent             
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