Ex Parte JOBS et al - Page 1




              The opinion in support of the decision being entered today was not written for publication and is not binding precedent of the Board.
                                                                                      Paper No. 20            
                        UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE                                             
                                                 ____________                                                 
                             BEFORE THE BOARD OF PATENT APPEALS                                               
                                          AND INTERFERENCES                                                   
                                                 ____________                                                 
                              Ex parte STEVEN P. JOBS and DONALD J. LINDSAY                                   
                                                 ____________                                                 
                                             Appeal No. 2004-0870                                             
                                           Application No. 09/477,419                                         
                                                 ____________                                                 
                                                   ON BRIEF                                                   
                                                 ____________                                                 
            Before FLEMING, DIXON, and BARRY, Administrative Patent Judges.                                   
            BARRY, Administrative Patent Judge.                                                               


                                            DECISION ON APPEAL                                                
                   A patent examiner rejected claims 1-41.  The appellants appeal therefrom under             
            35 U.S.C. § 134(a).  We affirm-in-part.                                                           


                                               BACKGROUND                                                     
                   The invention at issue on appeal is a windows-based graphical user interface               
            ("GUI") for multitasking.  Multitasking has become a common manner of operating a                 
            computer for many users.  A windows-based GUI associates each task with one or                    
            more windows.  For example, each document open in a word processing program will                  








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