Appeal No. 1999-2039 Page 5
Application No. 08/531,424
lighting purposes. Therefore, it would have been obvious to
one of ordinary skill in the art, having the Kakinuma et al
and Pileski et al references in front of him/her and the
general knowledge of imaging techniques within an endoscope,
would have had no difficulty in providing surround lighting
techniques within an endoscope as taught by Pileski et al for
the endoscope system of Kakinuma et al for the same well known
purposes as claimed." (Id. at 5.) The appellant argues,
"Pileski and Kakinuma do not teach an internal light source
(i.e. light source capable of being inserted into a body
cavity) mounted at a distal end of an endoscope concentric
about a light aperture and axially aligned with the endoscope
sheath." (Appeal Br. at 13.)
Claims 10 and 11 specify in pertinent part the following
limitations: "b. illumination means mounted at the distal end
of said sheath; ... e. the illumination means comprising a
plurality of light emitting diodes arranged in a generally
concentric pattern surrounding a light transmissive central
aperture in the center of said pattern, said central aperture
having a central axis aligned with and coaxial with a central
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