Appeal No. 2004-1319
Application 09/933,329
connector to the conducive ends of electrical wires. Givot also
shows (e.g., in Fig. 3) an embodiment of a wire nut fastening
tool incorporating both a manual gripping feature and a ratchet
mechanism (20) which can alternatively be used to apply the
necessary torque to the tool. From the combined teachings of
Lassiter and Givot, the examiner has concluded that it would have
been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time
appellant’s invention was made to modify the tool of Lassiter to
facilitate use of the wire connector fastening tool therein by
manually gripping the outer surface of the tool to apply the
torque necessary for securing a wire connector to the conducive
ends of electrical wires, because Givot suggests use of such
direct manual gripping of the outer surface of the tool as an
alternative to using the ratchet mechanism associated with the
tool for applying the necessary torque, if so desired.
We agree with the examiner. Appellant’s argument (brief,
page 19) that the body of Givot’s tool could not be extruded and
cut to length, as described in appellant’s specification, is of
no avail, since neither of claims 18 and 19 on appeal contain any
such requirement. As for appellant’s assertion (brief, page 20)
that the examiner has not provided any specific reason why one of
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