Ex parte AMANO et al. - Page 6




          Appeal No. 1999-1560                                                        
          Application No. 08/974,108                                                  


          37 USPQ2d 1237, 1239 (Fed. Cir. 1995), citing W.L. Gore & Assocs.,          
          Inc. v. Garlock, Inc., 721 F.2d 1540, 1551, 1553, 220 USPQ 303, 311,        
          312-13 (Fed. Cir. 1983).  Here the examiner has provided no prior art       
          which would have suggested the desirability of using an oval shape          
          for the various elements of Shimizu.  The only suggestion of an oval        
          shape comes from appellants' specification.  Thus, the examiner has         
          failed to establish a prima facie case of obviousness.                      
               Second, as to the examiner's contention that appellants have           
          failed to show criticality in the specification, we disagree.  The          
          examiner apparently overlooked appellants' statements in the                
          specification that (1) the oval shape "assures precise, reliable and        
          easy positioning of the main frame, head assembly and flexible              
          cable," (see page 5), (2) "[t]he oval flexible cable 16 is precisely        
          fitted into the oval hollow portion 14a ....  Thus, the electrodes          
          16a are easily positioned in such a manner as to precisely correspond       
          to the piezoelectric elements 40 on a one-to-one basis," (see page          
          19) and (3) "[a]ll of the hollow opening 14a, flexible cable 16,            
          flexible member 18 and rimmed window 22a have the same oval shape, so       
          that the main frame 14, flexible cable 16, flexible member 18 and           
          sub-frame 22 can be precisely and easily positioned with respect to         
          one another.  Therefore, the ink jet printing head can be                   
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