Appeal No. 2000-0464
Application No. 09/023,198
connector housing to said printed circuit board, provided on
said bottom face of said connector housing." Although Glomb
does teach cavities 4 around posts 3, as described above, the
object of Glomb is to eliminate the use of screws by using a
press fit instead. Specifically, Glomb finds (column 1, lines
12-18) that a screw-type connection "requires a considerable
outlay in terms of cost and labor." Therefore, Glomb states
(column 1, lines 30-34), "With the provision of corresponding
bores in the printed circuit board to receive the posts, it is
thus possible to firmly connect the plug connector strip of
the invention to the printed circuit board without special
screwing work." Consequently, Glomb cannot be considered to
include the claimed screw holes.
Further, it would not have been obvious to add such screw
holes, as that would defeat the purpose of Glomb's invention.
The Federal Circuit has held that "a proposed modification
[is] inappropriate for an obviousness inquiry when the
modification render[s] the prior art reference inoperable for
its intended purpose. In re Gordon, 733 F.2d 900, 902, 221
USPQ 1125, 1127 (Fed. Cir. 1984)." In re Fritch, 972 F.2d
6
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