Ex parte REO - Page 11




          Appeal No. 1999-2242                                                        
          Application No. 08/137,056                                                  

          examiner's rejection of claim 11 under 35 U.S.C. § 102(b).                  


                          The 35 U.S.C. § 103(a) rejection                            
               We have indicated above that we will sustain the                       
          examiner’s rejection of claim 14 under 35 U.S.C. § 102(b) as                
          being anticipated by Yasukawa.  Thus, we find the examiner's                
          use of the Church and Mohiuddin patents to be mere surplusage               
          and sustain the § 103(a) rejection of claim 14 on the basis of              
          Yasukawa alone, noting that anticipation or lack of novelty is              
          the epitome of obviousness.  Jones v. Hardy, 727 F.2d 1524,                 
          1529, 220 USPQ 1021, 1025 (Fed. Cir. 1984).  See also In re                 
          Fracalossi, 681 F.2d 792, 794, 215 USPQ 569, 571 (CCPA 1982);               
          In re Pearson, 494 F.2d 1399, 1402, 181 USPQ 641, 644 (CCPA                 
          1974).                                                                      
               Claims 12 and 13 are grouped by the appellant with claim               
          14, supra.  Accordingly, claims 12 and 13 fall with claim 14.               
          See                                                                         
          37 CFR § 1.192(c)(7).                                                       
               In addition, even if it is assumed for the sake of                     
          argument that claim 14 is not anticipated by Yasukawa, we have              
          considered the collective teachings of Yasukawa, Church and                 

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