Ex parte JACOBSEN - Page 6




          Appeal No. 95-2346                                                          
          Application 08/147,093                                                      


          reference teachings would appear to be sufficient for one of                
          ordinary skill in the relevant art having the references                    
          before him to make the proposed combination or other                        
          modification.  See In re Lintner,  458 F.2d 1013, 1016, 173                 
          USPQ 560, 562 (CCPA 1972).  Furthermore, the conclusion that                
          the claimed subject matter is prima facie obvious must be                   
          supported by evidence, as shown by some objective teaching in               
          the prior art or by knowledge generally available to                        
          one of ordinary skill in the art that would have led that                   
          individual to combine the relevant teachings of the references              
          to arrive at the claimed invention.  See In re Fine, 837 F.2d               
          1071, 1074, 5 USPQ2d 1596, 1598 (Fed. Cir. 1988).  Rejections               
          based on                                                                    
          § 103 must rest on a factual basis with these facts being                   
          interpreted without hindsight reconstruction of the invention               
          from the prior art.  The examiner may not, because of doubt                 
          that the invention is patentable, resort to speculation,                    
          unfounded assumption or hindsight reconstruction to supply                  
          deficiencies in the factual basis for the rejection.  See In                
          re Warner, 379 F.2d 1011, 1017, 154 USPQ 173, 178 (CCPA 1967),              
          cert. denied, 389 U.S.                                                      
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