Appeal No. 96-3618
Application 08/004,598
Gillig discloses the limitations of claim 7 except for
the "base telephone apparatus connected with at least two
separate telephone lines of a telephone utility company,
thereby to permit making an outgoing telephone call via one of
the two telephone lines while a conversation is being
carried-on via the other one of the two telephone lines." The
Examiner finds that it was "well known in the art to have
multiple line base telephone apparatuses" (2dSEA51) as
evidenced by Yorita. The Examiner also states that "[i]t has
been held that mere duplication of the essential working parts
of a device involves only routine skill in the art" (2dSEA51).
We agree that it was well known in the telephone art to have
telephone sets, commonly business telephone sets such as those
used by receptionists, connected to multiple telephone lines
so that the user may switch between calls. Yorita shows a
cordless telephone base station connected through N telephone
lines to a telephone utility company. Numerous cordless sets
are associated with the base station, but this is not
precluded by the claim language of claim 7. The prior art
teachings would have motivated one of ordinary skill in the
art to provide multiple telephone lines to a cordless
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