Appeal No. 2006-0673 Page 12
Application No. 09/919,555
Here, like the appellants' invention,3 Cattell '915 "relates to arrays, particularly
biopolymer arrays (such [as] polynucleotide arrays, and particularly DNA arrays). . . ."
(Col. 1, ll. 6-7.) "FIG. 4 [of the reference] is a schematic diagram of . . . a central
fabrication station," (col. 5, ll. 64-65), for manufacturing the aforementioned arrays on a
substrate. During such manufacturing, "[f]or each fabricated array 12, processor 140
will generate a corresponding unique identifier and will save (430) this in memory 141 in
association with the following (together forming a first set of feature characteristic data
440): target array layout information (including the location and identity of biopolymers
at each feature); quality control data (obtained in step 420); and biological function data
(434)." (Col. 12, ll. 44-50.) We find that Cattell '915's saving of the unique identifier or
feature characteristic data in the memory 141 anticipates the claimed saving of some
sort of data in a memory.
The reference further explains that "[t]he substrate 10 is then sent to a cutter 152
wherein portions of substrate 10 carrying an individual array 12 and its associated local
identifier 356 are separated from the remainder of substrate 10, to provide multiple
array units 15. The array unit 15 is placed in package 340 along with storage
3Herbert F. Cattell, the patentee of Catell '915, is one of the co-appellants in the
instant case.
Page: Previous 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Next
Last modified: November 3, 2007