Ex parte GEIGER - Page 8




          Appeal No. 1999-0074                                                        
          Application No. 08/401,347                                                  


          extends away from the front and rear faces of the radiator                  
          core.  Accordingly, even if we were to agree with the examiner              
          that                                                                        
          it would have been obvious to provide the radiator assembly of              
          Jackson with a unitary flat tank torque plate in view of Ivy,               
          the subject matter of claims 1 and 16 would not result.  This               
          constitutes a second reason necessitating reversal of the                   
          examiner’s rejection.                                                       
               We also do not find the deficiencies of Jackson and Ivy                
          discussed above to be cured by reliance on case law such as                 
          In re Larson, 340 F.2d 965, 144 USPQ 347 (CCPA 1965), and                   
          Nerwin v. Erlichman, 168 USPQ 177 (Bd. Pat. Int. 1969) cited                
          by the examiner on pages 4 and 5 of the answer.  Obviousness                
          under                                                                       
          § 103 is a legal conclusion based on factual evidence (In re                
          Fine, 837 F.2d 1071, 1073, 5 USPQ2d 1596, 1598 (Fed. Cir.                   
          1988),  and the subjective opinion of the examiner as to what               
          is or is not obvious, without evidence in support thereof,                  
          does not suffice.  Since the examiner has not provided a                    
          sufficient                                                                  


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