Appeal No. 1999-1608
Application No. 08/506,943
17. A method for automatically generating a non- pictorial description of an
electronic circuit from a pictorial schematic image thereof by scanning said
pictorial schematic image so as to obtain data comprising a non- pictorial
description of the pictorial schematic image and processing that data in
such a manner as to obtain the non- pictorial description of the electronic
circuit, wherein such non-pictorial description of the electronic circuit
comprises an identification and listing of the circuit's components, the input
and output terminals of those components, and all interconnections among
those input and output terminals.
The examiner relies on the following references:
Rutenbar et al. (Rutenbar) 4,541,114 Sep. 10, 1985
Bhaskaran 4,949,388 Aug. 14, 1990
Rostoker et al. (Rostoker) 5,572,437 Nov. 05, 1996
(filed May 20, 1994)
Claims 17-23 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as unpatentable over the
combination of Bhaskaran, Rostoker and Rutenbar.
Reference is made to the brief and answer for the respective positions of
appellants and the examiner.
OPINION
At the outset, we note that all claims stand or fall together, in accordance with
appellants’ grouping of the claims at page 3 of the brief. Accordingly, we will concentrate
on independent claim 17.
The examiner cites Bhaskaran for the recognition of graphic symbols wherein a
non-pictorial description of an electronic circuit is generated from a pictorial schematic
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