Ex parte CHILDERS et al. - Page 7




          Appeal No. 96-2820                                                          
          Application 08/227,705                                                      


          the specifi-cation with regard to "the equivalency of the                   
          implicit and explicit claimed 'means'" as argued by the                     
          Examiner.  Thus, we will not sustain the rejection of the                   
          claims under 35 U.S.C.                                                      
          § 112 paragraphs 1, 2 and 6.                                                
                    Turning to the rejections under 35 U.S.C. § 103, we               
          find the Examiner has failed to set forth a prima facie case.               
          It is the burden of the Examiner to establish why one having                
          ordinary skill in the art would have been led to the claimed                
          invention by the reasonable teachings or suggestions found in               
          the prior art, or by a reasonable inference to the artisan                  
          contained in such teachings or suggestions.  In re Sernaker,                
          702 F.2d 989, 995, 217 USPQ 1, 6 (Fed. Cir. 1983).                          
          "Additionally, when determining obviousness, the claimed                    
          invention should be considered as a whole; there is no legally              
          recognizable 'heart' of the invention."  Para-Ordnance Mfg. v.              
          SGS Importers Int’l, Inc., 73 F.3d 1085, 1087, 37 USPQ2d 1237,              
          1239 (Fed. Cir. 1995), citing W. L. Gore & Assocs., Inc. v.                 
          Garlock, Inc., 721 F.2d 1540, 1548, 220 USPQ 303, 309 (Fed.                 
          Cir. 1983), cert. denied,                                                   


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