Ex Parte Pan et al - Page 5



          Appeal No. 2005-0323                                       Page 5           
          Application No. 09/577,835                                                  

          at the claimed invention.  Such reason must stem from some                  
          teaching, suggestion or implication in the prior art as a whole             
          or knowledge generally available to one having ordinary skill in            
          the art.  Uniroyal, Inc. v. Rudkin-Wiley Corp., 837 F.2d 1044,              
          1051, 5 USPQ2d 1434, 1438 (Fed. Cir. 1988); Ashland Oil, Inc. v.            
          Delta Resins & Refractories, Inc., 776 F.2d 281, 293, 227 USPQ              
          657, 664 (Fed. Cir. 1985); ACS Hosp. Sys., Inc. v. Montefiore               
          Hosp., 732 F.2d 1572, 1577, 221 USPQ 929, 933 (Fed. Cir. 1984).             
          These showings by the examiner are an essential part of complying           
          with the burden of presenting a prima facie case of obviousness.            
          Note In re Oetiker, 977 F.2d 1443, 1445, 24 USPQ2d 1443, 1444               
          (Fed. Cir. 1992).  If that burden is met, the burden then shifts            
          to the applicant to overcome the prima facie case with argument             
          and/or evidence.  Obviousness is then determined on the basis of            
          the evidence as a whole.  See id.; In re Hedges, 783 F.2d 1038,             
          1039, 228 USPQ 685, 686 (Fed. Cir. 1986); In re Piasecki, 745               
          F.2d 1468, 1472, 223 USPQ 785, 788 (Fed. Cir. 1984); and In re              
          Rinehart, 531 F.2d 1048, 1052, 189 USPQ 143, 147 (CCPA 1976).               
               The examiner's position (answer, pages 3 and 4) is that                
          Gardner discloses the claimed integrated circuit including the              
          composite spacers extending continuously on the vertical                    
          sidewalls, wherein each of the spacers comprises a nitride spacer           





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