Appeal No. 2000-0798
Application No. 08/410,852
written in an appendix to the examiner’s answer, but since no
such appendix to the answer is found, claims 1 and 7 (the only
independent claims on appeal) are reproduced as follows: 1
1. An autoclavable medical instrument
comprising:
a metallic shaft having an end; and
a colored synthetic handle molded to encase
the end of the metallic shaft wherein the color
of the synthetic handle identifies the
instrument as belonging to a predetermined
group.
7. A method of making a medical instrument
readily identifiable comprising the steps of
producing a metal portion of the instrument
having a shaft; and
encapsulating an end of the shaft in a
colored autoclavable synthetic material such
that the encapsulating synthetic material
identifies the medical instrument as belonging
to a predetermined group.
The references applied in the final rejection are: 2
Hamas 4,671,916 Jun. 9,
1987
Bedner et al. (Bedner) 4,798,000 Jan. 17,
1989
1These claims are as amended by the amendment filed on
Sept. 29, 1997.
2Paper No. 24, Dec. 4, 1998, the third final rejection in
the case.
2
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