Ex parte RASHMAN et al. - Page 6




          Appeal No. 1999-0455                                                        
          Application 08/635,483                                                      


          776 F.2d 281, 293, 227 USPQ 657, 664 (Fed. Cir. 1985), cert.                
          denied, 475 U.S. 1017 (1986); ACS Hosp. Sys., Inc. v.                       
          Montefiore Hosp., 732 F.2d 1572, 1577, 221 USPQ 929, 933 (Fed.              
          Cir. 1984).  These showings by the examiner are an essential                
          part of complying with the burden of presenting a prima facie               
          case of obviousness.  Note In re Oetiker, 977 F.2d 1443, 1445,              
          24 USPQ2d 1443, 1444 (Fed. Cir. 1992).  If that burden is met,              
          the burden then shifts to the applicant to overcome the prima               
          facie case with argument and/or evidence.  Obviousness is then              
          determined on the basis of the evidence as a whole and the                  
          relative persuasiveness of the arguments.  See Id.; In re                   
          Hedges, 783 F.2d 1038, 1039, 228 USPQ 685, 686 (Fed. Cir.                   
          1986); In re Piasecki, 745 F.2d 1468, 1472, 223 USPQ 785, 788               
          (Fed. Cir. 1984); and In re Rinehart, 531 F.2d 1048, 1052, 189              
          USPQ 143, 147 (CCPA 1976).  Only those arguments actually made              
          by appellants have been considered in this decision.                        
          Arguments which appellants could have made but chose not to                 
          make in the brief have not been considered [see 37 CFR                      
          § 1.192(a)].                                                                
          With respect to representative, independent claim 1,                        
          the examiner applies two alternative rejections.  First, the                
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