Appeal No. 2003-1284 Page 13
Application No. 09/887,179
appropriate level. Chore-Time Equip., Inc. v. Cumberland, 713 F.2d 774, 779 n.2, 218
USPQ 673, 676 n.2 (Fed. Cir. 1983).
Determination of obviousness
With regard to the above-noted differences, it is our conclusion that it would have
been obvious at the time the invention was made to a person of ordinary skill in the art
to have modified the pocket multiple tool of Leatherman to have included common tools
used by bicyclists such as a spoke wrench and a bicycle chain tool in view of (1) the
teachings of Leatherman to provide a multiple tool having both cross-jaw pliers and
parallel-jaw pliers and certain auxiliary tools, and that certain tools are often needed in
situations where it is impractical or at least inconvenient to go prepared with a well
equipped tool box, for example, hunters, fishermen, campers, bicyclists and even
motorcyclists and automobilists have frequent need for a variety of common tools which
are not available when the need arises; and (2) the teachings of Chuang that a tool
combination for a bicycle includes both a spoke wrench and a bicycle chain tool. In
making this modification to Leatherman, it is our view that one skilled in the art would
have replaced one or more of Leatherman's auxiliary tools (i.e., knife blade
71, awl 72, large screwdriver bit 73, scissors 74, spacer 98, saw/file blade 76, small
screwdriver bit 77, medium screwdriver bit 99, can and bottle opener 78 and
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