Appeal No. 2003-0660
Application No. 09/791,259
that the data terminals and the spacecraft are synchronizing
their timing as claimed (answer, pages 5 & 6).
A rejection for anticipation under section 102 requires that
each and every limitation of the claimed invention be disclosed
in a single prior art reference. In re Paulsen, 30 F.3d 1475,
1478-79, 31 USPQ2d 1671, 1673 (Fed. Cir. 1994). See also Atlas
Powder Co. v. Ireco Inc., 190 F.3d 1342, 1347, 51 USPQ2d 1943,
1947 (Fed. Cir. 1999).
We observe that Schlosser, as depicted in Figure 1,
discloses a communication system wherein processor repeater
spacecraft 100 controls the assignment of the time slots, overall
synchronization of the system and reformatting of data from
ground data terminals 110 (col. 4, lines 8-21). Schlosser
further teaches that the wideband downlink 121 and the narrowband
uplink 122 are used for voice and data communication while
narrowband uplink 123 is used for rapid initial coarse
synchronization of data terminals 110 (col. 4, lines 45-49). We
also find that spacecraft 100 interrogates and calls data
terminals 110 using wideband downlinks 121 to provide a time
reference for uplink synchronization of the terminals (col. 4,
lines 53-59). Therefore, the data terminals must be synchronized
to the spacecraft downlink format in order to communicate without
interfering with a transmission in another time slot in an uplink
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