Ex parte GILLIS et al. - Page 7




          Appeal No. 97-1143                                                          
          Application 08/115,881                                                      


          Covert are located approximately midway between the front and               
          rear of the frame is erroneous.                                             
               We agree with appellants that the examiner's analysis of               
          the combined teachings of the references is fatally flawed.                 
          Rejections based on § 103 must rest on a factual basis with                 
          these facts being interpreted without hindsight reconstruction              
          of the invention from the prior art.  The examiner may not,                 
          because of doubt that the invention is patentable, resort to                
          speculation, unfounded assumption or hindsight reconstruction               
          to supply deficiencies in the factual basis for the rejection.              
          See In re Warner, 379 F.2d 1011, 1017, 154 USPQ 173, 178 (CCPA              
          1967), cert. denied, 389 U.S. 1057 (1968).  Our reviewing                   
          court has repeatedly cautioned against employing hindsight by               
          using the appellant's disclosure as a blueprint to reconstruct              
          the claimed invention from the isolated teachings of the prior              
          art.  See, e.g., Grain Processing Corp. v. American                         
          Maize-Products Co., 840 F.2d 902, 907, 5 USPQ2d 1788, 1792                  
          (Fed. Cir. 1988).  There is simply no                                       
          suggestion or motivation in Covert to provide a wheel set                   
          mounted                                                                     


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