Appeal No. 1998-2870
Application 08/429,954
(Br26). The Examiner refers to column 19, lines 10-12, 45-47,
and 60-65 in the rejection (EA5) and to column 5, lines 39-42, of
Biggs with respect to a similar limitation in claim 4 (EA10-11).
We think it is clear the Examiner meant to refer to
column 5, lines 29-32, instead of lines 39-42. In any case,
column 19 relied on by the Examiner demonstrates that credit card
information signals are sent each time the card is properly read.
The rejection of claim 29 is sustained.
With respect to claim 30, the Examiner relies on the voice
prompt if the credit card could not be properly read (EA5).
Appellants argue that prompts are not error messages (Br26-27).
It is argued that Biggs states that the customer is notified with
voice prompts and graphic screens generated by the store-and-
forward switch and a central distribution computer, but nothing
about generating voice prompts via the access device (RBr10).
We agree with the Examiner that the claimed "audible tone"
broadly reads on notifying the customer with voice prompts
(Biggs, col. 17, lines 4-7). Claim 30 says nothing about where
the enabling of an audible tone occurs. The fact that Biggs
teaches more than what is claimed, i.e., graphics screen, is not
precluded by claim 30, which is an open-ended claim. The
rejection of claim 30 is sustained.
With respect to claim 31, Appellants argue that the Examiner
does not specifically cite any support for his rejection (Br27;
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