Appeal No. 2000-0530
Application No. 08/811,192
in rod sections 2 and 3. Rod-section 4 has three pass-through
rings 12 and a butt-end ring 16 fixed in place.
Contrary to the view of the examiner, it is our opinion
that the collective teachings of Vance and SU ’045 would not
have suggested the present invention to one having ordinary
skill in the art. As we see it, each of Vance and SU ’045
clearly reveal distinct, alternative configurations for
passing a line through a hollow bore fishing rod. As such,
absent reliance upon impermissible hindsight, it is not
apparent to us that one having ordinary skill in the art would
have been motivated to selectively alter the fishing rod of
Vance in light of the SU ’045 teaching, as proposed by the
examiner, to thereby yield the fishing rod of independent
claims 27, 28, 36, 37, 38, and 40. We also perceive that each
of these reference teachings would not have been suggestive of
a fishing rod structure with components thereof being
8
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