Appeal No. 1998-1507
Application No. 08/499,988
Each of independent claims 1, 6 and 11 requires an
“offset signal that programs the floating point to fixed point
conversion....” Waggener is directed to a conversion from one
floating point format to another floating point format.
Waggener is not concerned with a floating point to fixed point
conversion as is each of the claims on appeal.
The examiner recognizes this difference but still
concludes that the instant claimed subject matter would have
been obvious, within the meaning of 35 U.S.C. § 103, over
Waggener because it would have been obvious “to program the
shifter (130) of Waggener’s floating point device for floating
point to fixed point conversion if it were considered
desirable for any reason to obtain a fixed point” [Answer-page
4, emphasis in the original]. The examiner bases this
conclusion on the capability of Waggener’s shifter (130) to
shift digits of the mantissa portion of the “floating point
number on the basis of the proper increment (claimed offset
signal)” [Answer-page 4].
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