Ex parte SHIMADA et al. - Page 9




          Appeal No. 1997-3911                                                        
          Application 08/368,758                                                      


          Because appellants do not take issue with the examiner's                    
          reliance on the definitions in this dictionary, those                       
          definitions may be considered, if necessary.                                
          Grouping of claims                                                          
               Appellants treat dependent claims 15-17, 19, 20, 22, and               
          23 as standing or falling with claim 14 and argue claim 18                  
          separately (Brief at 5).                                                    
          The level of skill in the art                                               
               The level of skill in the art is represented by the                    
          references.  In re Oelrich, 579 F.2d 86, 91, 198 USPQ 210, 214              
          (CCPA 1978) ("the PTO usually must evaluate both the scope and              
          content of the prior art and the level of ordinary skill                    
          solely on the cold words of the literature").  In re GPAC                   
          Inc., 57 F.3d 1573, 1579, 35 USPQ2d 1116, 1121 (Fed. Cir.                   
          1995) (Board did not err in adopting the approach that the                  
          level of skill in the art was best determined by the                        
          references of record).                                                      
          Appellants' burden of proof on appeal                                       
               In re Rouffet, 149 F.3d 1350, 1355, 47 USPQ2d 1453, 1455               
          (Fed. Cir. 1998), explains that                                             


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