Ex Parte JOHNSON - Page 6




             Interference No. 104,314                                                                                     
             Sauer Inc. v. Kanzaki Kokyukoki Mfg. Co., Ltd.                                                               

                    At this time this concept which was selected was integrated design of housing and                     
                    center section. However, if we are to have integral housing with center section,                      
                    there are many difficult problems. Everybody realized those difficulties and in                       
                    order to find solutions. What it means here is Sauer is going to take the lead to                     
                    find a solution.                                                                                      
             According to Sauer, and consistent with Mr. Fujisaki's testimony, during the November 23-25,                 
             1987 meeting, the parties jointly decided that they would pursue an IHT having a center section              
             that is integral to the housing as opposed to being separately mounted within the housing. (Sauer            
             Fact 80)                                                                                                     
                    18. According to Sauer, from November 26, 1987, to February 28, 1988, it worked on                    
             two of the four concepts marked for further study at the November 1987 meeting. Sauer admits                 
             that neither one of these concepts which it had worked on during that three month time period is             
             within the scope of the count in this interference. (Br. at 26.)                                             
                                                       Discussion                                                         
             A. Alleged Diligence of Sauer in Reduciniz the Invention to Practice                                         
                    Junior party Sauer does not allege that it reduced the invention of the count to practice             
             prior to Kanzaki's accorded benefit date of February 3, 1988. Rather, it seeks to prevail on the             
             issue of priority by asserting that it had a prior conception which is coupled with reasonable               
             diligence from a time prior to conception of the invention by Kanzaki's inventor to Sauer's own              
             reduction to practice. See 35 U.S.C. § 102(g).                                                               
                    "The reasonable diligence standard balances the interest in rewarding and encouraging                 
             invention with the public's interest in the earliest possible disclosure of innovation." Griffith v.         

                                                         - 6 -                                                            






Page:  Previous  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12  13  14  15  Next 

Last modified: November 3, 2007