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 11Page: Previous 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 NextLast modified: November 3, 2007