Appeal No. 96-3388 Page 4 Application No. 08/036,857 the appellant or examiner in toto, we refer to the appeal and reply briefs and the examiner’s answers for the respective details thereof. OPINION In reaching our decision in this appeal, we considered the subject matter on appeal and the rejection and evidence advanced by the examiner. We also considered the appellant’s and examiner’s arguments. After considering the record before us, it is our view that the evidence and level of skill in the art would not have suggested to one of ordinary skill in the art the invention of claims 8 and 9. Accordingly, we reverse. We begin our consideration of the obviousness of the claims by recalling that in rejecting claims under 35 U.S.C. § 103, the patent examiner bears the initial burden of establishing a prima facie case of obviousness. A prima facie case is established when the teachings from the prior art itself would appear to have suggested the claimed subjectPage: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 NextLast modified: November 3, 2007