Ex parte EDGINGTON et al. - Page 4


            Appeal No. 1998-1006                                                       
            Application No. 08/499079                                                  

            the specification would not have enabled one of ordinary                   
            skill in this art to practice the claimed invention without                
            undue experimentation. Id.  Here, the examiner has not                     
            supported his conclusion by any such explanation or                        
            reasons.  Hence, the examiner has not met his burden for                   
            establishing a prima facie case.  Moreover, upon our                       
            review, we find that the text on page 3, lines 20-21 and                   
            31-33, page 4, lines 17-24, page 8, lines 27-35, and page                  
            9, lines 1-10 enables a person having ordinary skill in the                
            art to make and use the claimed invention, without “undue                  
            experimentation.”  This text sets forth “compostable                       
            thermoplastic resins” useful in appellants’ claimed                        
            invention, as well as more specific types, for example (1)                 
            a thermoplastic polyactic acid polymer resin, (2) a resin                  
            grade or high molecular weight thermoplastic polyester such                
            as a polyester urethane, or (3) a thermoplastic PHBV                       
            polymer with the tackifying resin of appellants’ invention.                
            This text also does not limit the claimed thermoplastic                    
            only to the subject matter found on page 9, lines 11-15, as                
            asserted by the examiner, because it provides for other                    
            types of thermoplastic resins.  Moreover, as stated by                     
            appellants on page 5 of their Brief, broad terminology can                 
            be used to provide objective enablement.  In re Marzocchi,                 
            439 F.2d 220, 223, 169 USPQ 367, 369 (CCPA 1971).                          
                 Hence, we reverse the rejection of claims 44-52 under                 
            35 U.S.C. § 112, paragraph 1.                                              








                                           4                                           



Page:  Previous  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  Next 

Last modified: November 3, 2007