Ex Parte Lucey - Page 7




          Appeal No. 1998-1328                                                        
          Application No. 08/341,500                                                  


          Assocs., Inc. v. Garlock, Inc., 721 F.2d 1540, 1548, 220 USPQ               
          303, 309 (Fed. Cir. 1983), cert. denied, 469 U.S. 851 (1984).               
               The Federal Circuit states that "[t]he mere fact that the              
          prior art may be modified in the manner suggested by the                    
          Examiner does not make the modification obvious unless the                  
          prior art suggested the desirability of the modification."  In              
          re Fritch, 972 F.2d 1260, 1266 n.14, 23 USPQ2d 1780, 1783-84                
          n. 14 (Fed. Cir. 1992), citing In re Gordon, 733 F.2d 900,                  
          902, 221 USPQ 1125, 1127 (Fed. Cir. 1984).  It is further                   
          established that "[s]uch a suggestion may come from the nature              
          of the problem to be solved, leading inventors to look to                   
          references relating to possible solutions to that problem."                 
          Pro-Mold & Tool Co. v. Great Lakes Plastics, 75 F.3d 1568,                  
          1573, 37 USPQ2d 1626, 1630 (Fed. Cir. 1996) citing In re                    
          Rinehart, 531 F.2d 1048, 1054,                                              
          189 USPQ 143, 149 (CCPA 1976) (considering the problem to be                
          solved in a determination of obviousness).  The Federal                     
          Circuit reasons in Para-Ordnance Mfg., Inc. v. SGS Importers                
          Int’l Inc.,                                                                 
          73 F.3d 1085, 1088-89, 37 USPQ2d 1237, 1239-40 (Fed. Cir.                   

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