Appeal No. 1997-4259
Application No. 08/259,474
intensities and exposure times were intended to be for a
standard mammography examination of a normal (i.e., natural)
human breast. The applied Destouet patent itself (in col. 2)
discloses that mammography is best performed at low X-ray
energies and with a phototimer placed beneath the film screen
cassette that automatically terminates each exposure when
sufficient X-rays have been transmitted to yield an
appropriately darkened film after development. Moreover, we
also note the patent of record to Scott P. Bartlett et al.
(U.S. Patent No. 5,391,203, filed Apr. 13, 1992), which patent
(in col. 9) refers to radiographic methods known to those of
ordinary skill in the art and described in Plastic and Recon.
Surgery 84:722 (1989). As noted in In re Buchner, 929 F.2d
660, 661, 18 USPQ2d 1331, 1332 (Fed. Cir. 1991), the
specification need not disclose what is well-known to those
skilled in the art and preferably omits that which is well-
known to those skilled in the art and already available to the
public. Thus, like appellants, we consider that the subject
matter of claims 9 and 30 on appeal is reasonably supported by
the original disclosure of the application and that these
claims and the disclosure meet the requirements of 35 U.S.C. §
6
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