Appeal No. 1997-4077
Application No. 08/441,989
ordinary skill in the art (see In re Bozek, 416 F.2d 1385,
1390, 163 USPQ 545, 549 (CCPA 1969)). Moreover, skill is
presumed on the part of those practicing in the art. See In
re Sovish, 769 F.2d 738, 743, 226 USPQ 771, 774 (Fed. Cir.
1985).
We are informed by appellants’ specification that
stainless steel is silver white in color. Copper is, of
course, copper-colored. Thus, the gasket 3 shown in
Shinohara, when made of copper as suggested by Shinohara,
would inherently be “distinctly colored making the gasket
discernable from” the stainless steel joint members 1 and 2.
In view of the above analysis, Shinohara, alone, teaches
or suggests each and every limitation of claim 1. Assuming,
for argument sake, that Shinohara does not suggest joint
members made
of stainless steel, Babuder specifically teaches, inter alia,
a
fluid coupling or pipe joint having first and second coupling
components 10 and 12 manufactured from stainless steel (col.
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