Appeal No. 2001-1568 Application 09/099,078 (b) treating a toner image-bearing surface with a squeezing member to squeeze said liquid developer layer therefrom; then (c) treating said toner image-bearing surface with a voltage impressing member to impart a bias voltage to said-toner image; then (d) transferring said toner image from said surface to an intermediate transfer medium; and then (e) transferring said transferred toner image from said intermediate transfer medium to a transfer medium. The references relied upon by the examiner as evidence of obviousness are: Thompson 5,300,990 Apr. 5, 1994 Yoshino et al. (Yoshino) 5,666,616 Sep. 9, 1997 Kusaba et al. (Kusaba) 5,715,510 Feb. 3, 1998 Claims 1-8 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. � 103(a) as being unpatentable over Yoshino in view of Kusaba. Claims 9 and 10 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. � 103(a) as being unpatentable over Yoshino in view of Kusaba, and further in view of Thompson. For the reasons set forth in the brief, reply brief, and below, we will reverse each of the above-noted rejections. OPINION We go directly to the rebuttal evidence provided by appellants because we find the evidence rebuts a prima facie case of obviousness, for the following reasons even if one were to have been established. 2Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 NextLast modified: November 3, 2007