Appeal No. 2000-2148 Page 3
Application No. 08/935,704
is operated, the first file using the second file when
the first file is executed.
Claims 1, 2, 4-15, 17, 18, and 20-37 stand rejected under 35
U.S.C. § 103(a) as obvious over U.S. Patent 5,754,179 (“Hocker”)
in view of U.S. Patent 5,295,242 (“Mashruwala”).
OPINION
After considering the record, we are persuaded that the
examiner did not err in rejecting claims 1, 2, 4-15, 17, 18, and
20-37. Accordingly, we affirm.
At oral hearing, the appellants’ attorney explained that
there were two points of contention, viz., (1) whether the
references would have been combined and (2) whether the
combination would have suggested the claimed invention. Rather
than reiterate the positions of the examiner or appellants in
toto, therefore, we address the two points of contention.
I. Combination of the References
The examiner asserts, "it would have been obvious . . . to
combine Mashruwala's teaching of displaying connecting lines
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