Appeal No. 2003-0298 Page 14
Application No. 09/497,797
humidity in the calender housing 32. In our view, the only possible suggestion for
modifying Van Haag to decrease humidity as required by the claims on appeal stems
from hindsight knowledge derived from the appellant's own disclosure. The use of such
hindsight knowledge to support an obviousness rejection under 35 U.S.C. § 103 is, of
course, impermissible. See, for example, W. L. Gore and Assocs., Inc. v. Garlock, Inc.,
721 F.2d 1540, 1553, 220 USPQ 303, 312-13 (Fed. Cir. 1983), cert. denied, 469 U.S.
851 (1984).
For the reasons set forth above, the decision of the examiner to reject claims 1
to 42 under 35 U.S.C. § 103 is reversed.
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