Appeal No. 98-1457 Page 9
Application No. 08/530,006
formed of a thermoplastic material , we see no suggestion 4
therein for an artisan to have modified Crandall's link in the
manner set forth by the examiner to arrive at the claimed
vehicular wheel suspension link. It follows that we cannot
sustain any of the examiner's rejections of claims 1 through
15.
As to our colleague's dissenting opinion, we do not share
his view that the subject matter of claim 1 would have been
suggested to one of ordinary skill in the art by the combined
teachings of the applied prior art. In determining
obviousness/nonobviousness, an invention must be considered "as
a whole," 35 U.S.C. § 103, and claims must be considered in
their entirety. Medtronic, Inc. v. Cardiac Pacemakers, Inc.,
721 F.2d 1563, 1567, 220 USPQ 97, 101 (Fed. Cir. 1983). Thus,
the issue presented by the rejections before us on appeal is
whether the applied prior art would have suggested to one of
4Scowen discloses that a connecting rod formed from fibre
reinforced plastics material can replace conventional metal
connecting rods in reciprocating piston and cylinder machines.
Hynds discloses an automotive vehicle suspension link can be
integrally molded from a suitable plastic material.
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