Appeal No. 2002-0912 Page 7
Application No. 08/913,187
manner, the hydrogenated amorphous carbon film well adheres to the
sliding surfaces” (column 13, lines 2-15, emphasis added).
Thus, Toshimitsu teaches that the anti-friction characteristics of a bearing having a
metal sliding surface are improved by coating the metallic surface with a hydrogenated
amorphous film, and that the adherence of this film to the metallic surface is enhanced
by forming it upon an intermediate layer of ceramic material.
It therefore is our view that one of ordinary skill in the art would have found it
obvious to modify the Yamada guide bush by providing the metallic inner surface with a
coating of hard carbon film formed on an intermediate layer of ceramic material which
has been formed on the metallic inner surface. Explicit suggestion for this modification
is found in Toshimitsu’s teaching that this improves the adherence of the hard carbon
film to the metallic inner surface. This being the case, the combined teachings of
Yamada and Toshimitsu establish a prima facie case of obviousness with regard to the
subject matter recited in claim 1, and we will sustain the rejection. Claims 4 and 5 also
stand rejected on the basis of Yamada and Toshimitsu, and since the appellants
have elected to group them with claim 1 (Brief, page 10), the rejection of these claims
also is sustained.
In the course of arriving at this conclusion, we carefully considered the
appellants’ arguments. As we stated above, explicit suggestion exists for making the
modification to Yamada proposed by the examiner. Once having been modified, the
advantages that accrue to the Yamada guide bush are the same as those attributed to
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