Ex parte DE GROOT et al. - Page 3




          Appeal No. 2001-1078                                       Page 3           
          Application No. 08/750,910                                                  


          mailed July 25, 2000) for the examiner's complete reasoning in              
          support of the rejection, and to the brief (Paper No. 24,                   
          filed April 17, 2000) and reply brief (Paper No. 26, filed                  
          September 29, 2000) for the appellants' arguments                           
          thereagainst.                                                               
                                       OPINION                                        
               In reaching our decision in this appeal, we have given                 
          careful consideration to the appellants' specification and                  
          claims, to the applied prior art references, and to the                     
          respective positions articulated by the appellants and the                  
          examiner.  Upon evaluation of all the evidence before us, it                
          is our conclusion that the evidence adduced by the examiner is              
          insufficient to establish a prima facie case of obviousness                 
          with respect to the claims under appeal.  Accordingly, we will              
          not sustain the examiner's rejection of claims 1 to 3 and 7                 
          under                                                                       
          35 U.S.C. § 103.  Our reasoning for this determination                      
          follows.                                                                    


               In rejecting claims under 35 U.S.C. § 103, the examiner                
          bears the initial burden of presenting a prima facie case of                







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