Ex Parte PARKS,III - Page 3




            Appeal No. 2002-1583                                                          Page 3              
            Application No. 09/299,678                                                                        


                                                  OPINION                                                     
                   In reaching our decision in this appeal, we have given careful consideration to            
            the appellant's specification and claims, to the applied prior art references, and to the         
            respective positions articulated by the appellant and the examiner.  Upon evaluation of           
            all the evidence before us, it is our conclusion that the evidence adduced by the                 
            examiner is insufficient to establish a prima facie case of obviousness with respect to           
            the claims under appeal.  Accordingly, we will not sustain the examiner's rejection of            
            claims 1 to 5 under 35 U.S.C. § 103.  Our reasoning for this determination follows.               


                   In rejecting claims under 35 U.S.C. § 103, the examiner bears the initial burden           
            of presenting a prima facie case of obviousness.  See In re Rijckaert, 9 F.3d 1531,               
            1532, 28 USPQ2d 1955, 1956 (Fed. Cir. 1993).  A prima facie case of obviousness is                
            established by presenting evidence that would have led one of ordinary skill in the art to        
            combine the relevant teachings of the references to arrive at the claimed invention.              
            See In re Fine, 837 F.2d 1071, 1074, 5 USPQ2d 1596, 1598 (Fed. Cir. 1988) and In re               
            Lintner, 458 F.2d 1013, 1016, 173 USPQ 560, 562 (CCPA 1972).                                      


                   Claim 1, the only independent claim on appeal, reads as follows:                           
                         An adjustable leveling ladder, said adjustable leveling ladder comprising:           
                         a vertical step assembly comprising a first and second parallel support              
                   legs having a plurality of step plates traversing between said support legs and            
                   secured thereto, said support legs having a tubular cross-section with a                   







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