Appeal No. 1996-1598 Page 5
Application No. 08/206,743
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).
Claim 1 recites a continuous casting apparatus for
billets to be rolled, comprising, inter alia, a mould, a hot
top shaping attachment and a starter block. Claim 1 further
recites that the starter block comprises a vertically-movable
block having a continuous peripheral wall having a downwardly
and inwardly inclined inner surface and a raised portion
arranged symmetrically relative to the central axes of the
starter block with the outer surface thereof being inclined
downwardly towards the inclined surface of the continuous
wall. Claim 1 also recites that the raised portion has a
height which is equal to approximately 1/2 to 2/3 of the
height of the peripheral wall.5
5This limitation was first presented in an amendment to
dependent claim 14 in the amendment after final filed May 17,
1996 (Paper No. 16). Thereafter, this limitation was
incorporated into independent claim 1 in the amendment after
final filed on October 28, 1996 (Paper No. 21).
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