Appeal No. 1998-0587
Application 08/385,253
circuit from each component within the set of electronic
components that process information read from a storage
medium.
The examiner further takes the position that “adding
additional outputs is merely a duplication of parts” (answer
at pages 4, 7 and 8). But going from a system having a single
output produced by a set of components which interact with
each other to a system having separate outputs from each of
the components within the set of components is not a mere
duplication of parts. A mere duplication of the output signal
would have resulted in two identical signals being produced by
the same set of components and they cannot be regarded as
separate outputs from respective parts within the set. The
appellant is correct that the one output from Squires does not
distinguish between the functions of the individual components
within the set of components but represents an amalgamation of
the output functions of all the components within the set.
For the foregoing reasons, we do not sustain the
rejection of claims 1-10, 12-23, 25, and 27-32.
As for dependent claims 11, 24 and 26, the examiner’s
reliance on Abbott does not make up for the deficiency of
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