Ex parte STEIJER et al. - Page 7




          Appeal No. 2000-0887                                       Page 7           
          Application No. 08/848,238                                                  


          to arrive at the claimed invention.  Such reason must stem                  
          from some teaching, suggestion or implication in the prior art              
          as a whole or knowledge generally available to one having                   
          ordinary skill in the art.  Uniroyal, Inc. v. Rudkin-Wiley                  
          Corp., 837 F.2d 1044, 1051, 5 USPQ2d 1434, 1438 (Fed. Cir.                  
          1988); Ashland Oil, Inc. v. Delta Resins & Refractories, Inc.,              
          776 F.2d 281, 293, 227 USPQ 657, 664 (Fed. Cir. 1985); ACS                  
          Hosp. Sys., Inc. v. Montefiore Hosp., 732 F.2d 1572, 1577, 221              
          USPQ 929, 933 (Fed. Cir. 1984).  These showings by the                      
          examiner are an essential part of complying with the burden of              
          presenting a prima facie case of obviousness.  Note In re                   
          Oetiker, 977 F.2d 1443, 1445, 24 USPQ2d 1443, 1444 (Fed. Cir.               
          1992).  If that burden is met, the burden then shifts to the                
          applicant to overcome the prima facie case with argument                    
          and/or evidence.  Obviousness is then determined on the basis               
          of the evidence as a whole.  See id.; In re Hedges, 783 F.2d                
          1038, 1039, 228 USPQ 685, 686 (Fed. Cir. 1986); In re                       
          Piasecki, 745 F.2d 1468, 1472, 223 USPQ 785, 788 (Fed. Cir.                 
          1984); and In re Rinehart, 531 F.2d 1048, 1052, 189 USPQ 143,               
          147 (CCPA 1976).                                                            








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