Ex parte FISCHBACH et al. - Page 6




          Appeal No. 2000-0289                                       Page 6           
          Application No. 08/753,542                                                  


               We will not sustain the rejection of claims 8 to 10 and                
          14 under 35 U.S.C. § 102(b).                                                


               To support a rejection of a claim under 35 U.S.C. §                    
          102(b), it must be shown that each element of the claim is                  
          found, either expressly described or under principles of                    
          inherency, in a single prior art reference.  See Kalman v.                  
          Kimberly-Clark Corp., 713 F.2d 760, 772, 218 USPQ 781, 789                  
          (Fed. Cir. 1983), cert. denied, 465 U.S. 1026 (1984).                       


               The appellants argue (brief, pp. 11-12) that both                      
          Caneavri and Griffin fail to disclose the claimed first and                 
          second blade members which each have "narrow, non-shearing                  
          flattened edges."  We agree.  In that regard, the term                      
          "narrow" must be given its broadest reasonable interpretation               
          consistent with the specification.  See In re Sneed, 710 F.2d               
          1544, 1548, 218 USPQ 385, 388 (Fed. Cir. 1983).  The American               
          Heritage Dictionary, Second College Edition, (1982) defines                 
          "narrow" as "of small or slender width."  As shown in Figure                
          2, for instance, the appellants disclose that flattened inner               
          edges 34, 36 extend only a small distance from the bottom of                







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