Appeal No. 1997-1054
Application No. 08/108,543
introducing hot air into at least one air hole provided in a
second die by using an air pressure control means, the
temperature of the hot air being such as to soften the surface
skin member which is mounted on the second die. While
Hanamoto discloses a heating unit 44a which heats and thereby
softens patentee’s sheet 32 (analogous to the here claimed
surface skin member), the applied prior art provides no
teaching, suggestion or incentive for achieving this heating
function via the hot air introducing step claimed by the
appellants. More specifically, the examiner has given no
reason why an artisan with ordinary skill would have been
motivated to modify Hanamoto’s female mold 18 (analogous to
the here claimed second die) in such a manner as to result in
the introducing step under consideration.
Under these circumstances, we cannot sustain the
examiner’s section 103 rejection of claims 15 through 20 as
being unpatentable over Hanamoto in view of Sheffield.
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