Appeal No. 1998-2467 Page 12
Application No. 08/353,682
the prior art to provide the circuit board with a pin or
socket connector to connect the circuit board to the
electrical connector at the handle end formed away from the
body of the scanner; connect the casing, which mounts the
electrical connector, to the housing through the use of a
mounting assembly that moves solely in an axial direction, and
to provide the handle end with an opening to make the circuit
board accessible through the handle end where the handle end
connects to the battery pack. In our view, the only
suggestion for modifying the prior art in the manner proposed
by the examiner to meet the above-noted limitations stems from
hindsight knowledge derived from appellants' own disclosure.
The use of such hindsight knowledge to support an obviousness
rejection under 35 U.S.C. § 103 is, of course, impermissible.
See, for example, W. L. Gore and Assocs., Inc. v. Garlock,
Inc., 721 F.2d 1540, 1553, 220 USPQ 303, 312-13 (Fed. Cir.
1983), cert. denied, 469 U.S. 851 (1984). We agree with the
examiner that a single connection would be created, but we
find no suggestion for the proposed modifications of the prior
art, and no persuasive argument or convincing line of
reasoning has been advanced by the examiner. It follows that
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