Ex parte MEIER et al. - Page 4




          Appeal No. 2000-0313                                                        
          Application No. 08/659,430                                                  

          consideration, in reaching our decision, appellants' arguments              
          set forth in the briefs along with the examiner's rationale in              
          support of the rejection and arguments in rebuttal set forth                
          in the examiner's answer.  As a consequence of our review, we               
          make the determinations which follow.                                       
               A claim is anticipated only if each and every element as               
          set forth in the claim is found, either expressly or                        
          inherently described, in a single prior art reference.                      
          Verdegaal Bros. Inc. v. Union Oil Co., 814 F.2d 628, 631, 2                 
          USPQ2d 1051, 1053 (Fed. Cir.), cert. denied, 484 U.S. 827                   
          (1987).  The inquiry as to whether a reference anticipates a                
          claim must focus on what subject matter is encompassed by the               
          claim and what subject matter is described by the reference.                
          As set forth by the court in Kalman v. Kimberly-Clark Corp.,                
          713 F.2d 760, 772, 218 USPQ 781, 789 (Fed. Cir. 1983), cert.                
          denied, 465 U.S. 1026 (1984), it is only necessary for the                  
          claims to "'read on' something disclosed in the reference,                  
          i.e., all limitations of the claim are found in the reference,              
          or 'fully met' by it."                                                      
               Appellants present three arguments (brief, page 4).  The               
          first is that DeRose fails to teach or suggest an internal                  

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