Appeal No. 2003-0556
Application 09/185,248
OPINION
We affirm the rejection of all claims on appeal for the
reasons set forth by the examiner in the answer. We recognize
the examiner's initial statement of combining the teachings and
suggestions of four references as to independent claims 1 and 19
at pages 3-5 of the answer may be somewhat awkwardly stated or
viewed as somewhat disjointed and based upon combining bits and
pieces of prior art. On the other hand, we remain convinced of
the obviousness of the subject matter since the examiner provides
clarifying analyses as to his position in the Remarks section of
the answer beginning at page 8. With respect to these remarks,
the examiner's reasoning of combinability appears to us to be
better expressed in the paragraph bridging pages 9 and 10 of the
answer, which is repeated again in a paragraph bridging pages 10
and 11 of the answer. It is here that the overlapping nature of
the teachings and suggestions of the references relied upon is
better expressed by the examiner such as to at least present to
the reader, without considering the nature of the teachings and
suggestions of the references themselves, a more persuasive line
of reasoning of combinability. Therefore, we do not agree with
one of appellants' basic urgings that there is no motivation or
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