Ex parte MARUMOTO - Page 5




          Appeal No. 1998-1114                                                        
          Application 08/353,254                                                      

                                       OPINION                                        
               Appellant argues (Br8) that the combination of Yaezawa                 
          and Wong fails to teach or suggest the limitations of claim 13              
          that (1) a comparator sets the RS flip-flop when the output                 
          from the key memory and the output from the input register                  
          coincide, and (2) the RS flip-flop turns a three-state buffer               
          into a high-impedance state or cancels the high-impedance                   
          state.  The Examiner breaks limitation (2) into three parts:                
          (2) Yaezawa does not disclose the use of a tri-state buffer;                
          (3) Yaezawa does not disclose controlling the tri-state buffer              
          with the output of the R-S flip-flop; and (4) Wong does not                 
          disclose controlling a tri-state buffer with a flip-flop                    
          (EA7).                                                                      
               We also find that the combination of Yaezawa and Wong                  
          does not teach or suggest the input register connected to the               
          same terminal as a three-state buffer; however, since this                  
          limitation is not argued, it will not be further addressed.                 
          See 37 CFR § 1.192(c)(8)(iv) (1996) ("For each rejection under              
          35 U.S.C. 103, the argument shall specify the errors in the                 
          rejection and, if appropriate, the specific limitations in the              
          rejected claims which are not described in the prior art                    

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