Appeal No. 98-1261
Application 08/435,869
It is our view that one of ordinary skill would have been motivated to modify the sets of
electrical contact members disclosed in French ‘008 by replacing each of the single tongue contact
members with a plurality of parallel, spaced contact members in view of the teachings of
German ‘318. Suggestion is found in the advantages of such an arrangement that are explicitly touted in
the German reference for improving performance, that is, constant resistance and minimal contact
pressure.
The combined teachings of French ‘008, German ‘318 and French ‘421 establish a prima
facie case of obviousness with regard to the subject matter of independent claim 17. We therefore will
sustain the rejection of claim 17 and claims 18 and 24-27, which depend therefrom and with regard to
which no argument has been provided with regard to their separate patentability. See In re Nielson,
816 F.2d 1567, 1570, 2 USPQ2d 1525, 1526 (Fed. Cir. 1987).
Claim 19 adds to claim 17 the requirement that the plural contact members be “aligned in side-
by-side relationship in a generally radially outward direction.” The single contact members in French
‘008 are oriented in a generally radially outward direction, as are the plural ones in German ‘318.
Thus, this feature is clearly taught by the prior art, and a prima facie case of obviousness is established
with regard to claim 19. The rejection of this claim on the basis of French ‘008, German ‘318 and
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