Appeal No. 1998-2057 Page 9
Application 08/331,541
claim 23 is the standard #6 iron. A side-by-side comparison
of the claimed iron club and the standard #6 iron club
disclosed by Paul reveals the following:
Claim 23 Paul’s # 6 Iron
Face angle (loft) $ 35E Loft = 34E
Lie angle # 60E Lie = 60E
Head mass # 260 g Head weight = 262 g
Thus, as can be seen from the above comparison, the standard
#6 iron club disclosed in Paul differs from the iron club
defined in claim 23 by 1E of loft and by 2 grams of head mass.
In applying the test for obviousness, we reach the3
conclusion that it would have been obvious to one having
ordinary skill in the art, from a combined assessment of the
Pfau and Paul teachings, to fabricate a customized #6 iron
with a loft of at least 35E, a lie of 60E or less and a head
mass of 260 g or less. In our view, one of ordinary skill in
the art would have been motivated to vary the loft of the
3The test for obviousness is what the combined teachings of the
references would have suggested to one of ordinary skill in the art.
See In re Young, 927 F.2d 588, 591, 18 USPQ2d 1089, 1091 (Fed. Cir. 1991)
and In re Keller, 642 F.2d 413, 425, 208 USPQ 871, 881 (CCPA 1881).
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