THOMPSON et al. V. THOMPSON - Page 14




          Interference No. 103,878                                                    



                    Conception is complete when one of ordinary skill in              
          the art could construct the apparatus without unduly extensive              
          research or experimentation.  Sewell, 21 F.3d at 416, 30                    
          USPQ2d at 1359.  See Summers v. Vogel, 332 F.2d 810, 816, 141               
          USPQ 816, 821 (CCPA 1964); In re Tansel, 253 F.2d 241, 243,                 
          117 USPQ 188, 189 (CCPA 1958).                                              
                    Neither conception nor reduction to practice may be               
          established by the uncorroborated testimony of the inventor.                
          See Tomecek v. Stimpson, 513 F.2d 614, 619, 185 USPQ 235, 239               
          (CCPA 1975).  The inventor's testimony, standing alone, is                  
          insufficient to prove conception--some form of corroboration                
          must be shown.  See Price v. Symsek, 988 F.2d 1187, 1194, 26                
          USPQ2d 1031, 1036 (Fed. Cir. 1993).  While the "rule of                     
          reason"                                                                     
          originally developed with respect to reduction to practice has              
          been extended to the corroboration required for proof of                    
          conception, the rule does not dispense with the requirement                 
          of some evidence of independent corroboration.  See Coleman,                
          754 F.2d at 360, 224 USPQ at 862.  As the CCPA stated in Reese              



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