Ex parte O'CONNER - Page 3




          Appeal No. 1997-1317                                                        
          Application No. 08/371,995                                                  


                    We assume that the text enclosed in parenthesis is                
          to be treated in the same way as the numerals enclosed in                   




          parentheses, i.e., given no weight.  See Manual of Patent                   
          Examining Procedure § 608.01(m) (7th ed., Rev. 1, Feb. 2000)                
          (reference characters enclosed in parentheses are given no                  
          weight).  Appellant does not contend otherwise.                             
          C.  The references and grounds of rejection                                 
                    The references relied on by the examiner are:                     
          Strauch                        4,205,314       May  27, 1980                
          Kipp et al. (Kipp '221)        4,245,221       Jan. 13, 1981                
          Kipp ('309)                    4,429,309       Jan. 31, 1984                
          Lazarus                        4,739,330       Apr. 19, 1988                
          Hethuin et al. (Hethuin)       5,072,223       Dec. 10, 1991                

                    Claims 1-12 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 102 as               
          anticipated by Strauch.                                                     
                    Claims 1-6 stand rejected "under 35 U.S.C. § 102(b)               
          as anticipated by or, in the alternative, under 35 U.S.C. §                 
          103 as obvious over either Kipp et al[.] ('221) or Kipp                     
          ('309), alone, or in view of Lazarus ('330) or Hethuin et                   
          al[.] ('223)" (Answer at 4).  We note that appellant's brief                

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