Ex parte BALLARD et al. - Page 9




             Appeal No. 96-1313                                                                                   
             Application 08/202,536                                                                               


                    Appellants argue that Morgan would not have suggested, to                                     
             one of ordinary skill in the art, adding the constituents to                                         
             the bath in the order set forth in appellants’ specification                                         
             which, appellants’ argue, is necessary for achieving and                                             
             maintaining the stability of the bath (brief, page 5).                                               
             Regarding this order, appellants’ specification states (page                                         
             11, lines 29-32): “Any disclosure which lacks this order of                                          
             incorporation would not be enabling, and would likely lead the                                       
             ordinary skilled artisan to an unstable bath, i.e., a bath                                           
             which exhibits the homogenous reaction.”  Appellants state                                           
             that a homogenous reaction is a chemical reduction of the                                            
             metal ions in solution rather than on the substrate surface                                          
             (specification, page 4, lines 27-33).                                                                
                    Regarding enablement, a predecessor of our appellate                                          
             reviewing court stated in In re Marzocchi, 439 F.2d 220, 223-                                        
             24, 169 USPQ 367, 369-70 (CCPA 1971):                                                                
                          [A] specification disclosure which contains a                                           
                    teaching of the manner and process of making and                                              
                    using the invention in terms which correspond in                                              
                    scope to those used in describing and defining the                                            
                    subject matter sought to be patented must be taken                                            
                    as in compliance with the enabling requirement of                                             
                    the first paragraph of § 112 unless there is reason                                           
                    to doubt the objective truth of the statements                                                

                                                       -9-9                                                       





Page:  Previous  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12  13  14  15  16  Next 

Last modified: November 3, 2007