Appeal No. 1998-3317 Page 7
Application No. 08/575,347
Slat discloses a method of making a multi-layer preform
used for plastic blow molding. Slat does not teach or suggest
the "drawing" and the "thereafter engaging" steps of claim 1.
Mente discloses a process for the production of shaped plastic
elements wherein a heated thermoplastic sheet is first drawn
by a vacuum such that a first surface has a convex shape and a
second surface has a concave shape and thereafter a male
vacuum mold is engaged with the second surface of the sheet.
The appellant argues (brief, pp. 3-4) that the examiner
has not offered any reason why it would have been obvious to
combine the applied prior art to arrive at the claimed
invention. We agree since after reviewing the teachings of
the applied prior art, we find no teaching, reason,
suggestion, or motivation to have combined the applied prior
art to produce the claimed device. In our view, the only
suggestion for modifying
the applied prior art in the manner proposed by the examiner
(answer, pp. 3-4) to arrive at the claimed invention stems
from hindsight knowledge derived from the appellants' own
disclosure. The use of such hindsight knowledge to support an
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