Appeal No. 1997-3241
Application 08/442,726
4, lines 39-53, counter 10-50 is used to provide a value to
the first register and to each of a plurality of comparators.
Each of these comparators is associated with a register. The
comparator compares the counter’s value with the previous
register’s value to determine if the previous register’s value
is to be loaded into the comparator’s register. The result of
this operation is that the initialization counter is counting
through its entire range, each register is sequentially
assigned a value. We find that Miu does not disclose that
counter 10-50 is a ripple counter. Further, we find that the
comparison taught by Miu is not performed on the lower order
bits while the count is propagating through the higher order
bits. Accordingly, we will not sustain the rejection of
claims 15, 16 and 17 under 35 U.S.C. § 102.
Next, we will consider the rejection of claim 17 under 35
U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over Okamoto and Moyer.
The Examiner has not set forth a prima facie case. It is the
burden of the Examiner to establish why one having ordinary
skill in the art would have been led to the claimed invention
by the express teachings or suggestions found in the prior
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