Appeal No. 1999-1959 Page 4
Application No. 08/881,586
platinum coil 19 is fitted over the distal end portion 21 of
the wire 18. The core wire and platinum coil are enclosed in
a sleeve 32, 34 of plastic material. The sleeve surrounding
the De Toledo core wire comprises two sleeves 32, 34 having a
coupling sleeve between their opposed ends. The examiner and
appellants agree that De Toledo discloses a guide wire as
recited in claim 28 with the exception of the radiopaque
material being incorporated within the distal jacket portion.
Miyano teaches two alternatives for providing a guide
wire having a core enclosed within a plastic layer with X-ray
contrast characteristics. The first alternative is to fix a
member made of radiopaque material to the front terminal of
the distal portion 2b of the core 2 (Figure 1). The second
alternative (Figure 2) is to mix pulverized X-ray contrast
material with the polymer material forming the base of a layer
4 surrounding the core. Miyano points out that, as a result
of the invention disclosed therein,
the position of the overall body of the guide wire
can be easily confirmed under the X-ray contrast.
In particular, the position of the front portion of
the guide wire can be easily confirmed [page 7].
In light of the teachings of Miyano, the examiner
contends that it would have been obvious to one of ordinary
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