Appeal No. 1999-1344 Application 08/364,718 to that problem." Pro-Mold & Tool Co. v. Great Lakes Plastics, Inc., 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. 1995), cert. denied, 519 U.S. 822 (1996) that for the determination of obviousness, the court must answer whether one of ordinary skill in the art who sets out to solve the problem and who had before him in his workshop the prior art, would have been reasonably expected to use the solution that is claimed by the Appellant. However, "[o]bviousness may not be established using hindsight or in view of the teachings or suggestions of the invention." Para-Ordnance, 73 F.3d at 1087, 37 USPQ2d at 1239, citing W.L. Gore & Assocs., Inc. v. Garlock Inc., 721 F.2d 1540, 1548, 220 USPQ 303, 309 (Fed. Cir. 1983), cert. denied, 469 U.S. 851 (1984). In addition, our reviewing court requires the Patent and Trademark Office to make specific findings on a suggestion 10Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 NextLast modified: November 3, 2007