Ex Parte FOX et al - Page 5




              Appeal No. 2004-1156                                                                                        
              Application No. 09/071,594                                                                                  


              389 U.S. 1057 (1968).  Our reviewing court has repeatedly cautioned against employing                       
              hindsight by using the appellant's disclosure as a blueprint to reconstruct the claimed                     
              invention from the isolated teachings of the prior art.  See, e.g., Grain Processing                        
              Corp. v. American Maize-Prods. Co., 840 F.2d 902, 907, 5 USPQ2d 1788, 1792 (Fed.                            
              Cir. 1988).                                                                                                 
                     When determining obviousness, "the [E]xaminer can satisfy the burden of                              
              showing obviousness of the combination ‘only by showing some objective teaching in                          
              the prior art or that knowledge generally available to one of ordinary skill in art would                   
              lead that individual to combine the relevant teachings of the references.’"  In re  Lee,                    
              277 F.3d 1338, 1343, 61 USPQ2d 1430, 1434 (Fed. Cir. 2002), citing In re Fritch, 972                        
              F.2d 1260, 1265, 23 USPQ2d 1780, 1783 (Fed. Cir. 1992).  "Broad conclusory                                  
              statements regarding the teaching of multiple references, standing alone, are not                           
              ‘evidence.'”  In re Dembiczak, 175 F.3d 994, 999, 50 USPQ2d 1614, 1617 (Fed. Cir.                           
              1999). "Mere denials and conclusory statements, however, are not sufficient to establish                    
              a genuine issue of material fact."  Dembiczak, 175 F.3d at 999, 50 USPQ2d at 1617,                          
              citing McElmurry v. Arkansas Power & Light Co., 995 F.2d 1576, 1578, 27 USPQ2d                              
              1129, 1131 (Fed. Cir. 1993).                                                                                






                                                            5                                                             





Page:  Previous  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  Next 

Last modified: November 3, 2007