Ex parte ALECCI et al. - Page 7




          Appeal No. 1997-1654                                       Page 7           
          Application No.  08/431,307                                                 


               We begin by finding that the references represent the                  
          level of ordinary skill in the art.  See In re GPAC Inc., 57                
          F.3d 1573, 1579, 35 USPQ2d 1116, 1121 (Fed. Cir. 1995)                      
          (finding that the Board of Patent Appeals and Interference did              
          not err in concluding that the level of ordinary skill in the               
          art was best determined by the references of record); In re                 
          Oelrich, 579 F.2d 86, 91, 198 USPQ 210, 214 (CCPA 1978)                     
          ("[T]he PTO usually must evaluate ... the level of ordinary                 
          skill solely on the cold words of the literature.").  Of                    
          course, every patent application and reference relies on the                
          knowledge of persons skilled in the art to complement its                   
          disclosure.  In re Bode, 550 F.2d 656, 660, 193 USPQ 12, 16                 
          (CCPA 1977).  Such persons must be presumed to know something               
          about the art apart from what the references teach.  In re                  
          Jacoby, 309 F.2d 513, 516, 135 USPQ 317, 319 (CCPA 1962).                   
               We address the obviousness of the claims in the following              
          groups: claims 26-28, 31-37, and 47; claims 38 and 41-46;                   
          claims 29 and 39; claims 30, 40, and 48; and claims 49-51.                  


                             Claims 26-28, 31-37, and 47                              









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