Ex Parte Hamilton - Page 4



         Appeal No. 2006-0785                                                       
         Application No. 09/683,531                                                 

         (1986); 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 and the relative persuasiveness of the                 
         arguments.  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).  Only those arguments           
         actually made by appellant have been considered in this decision.          
         Arguments which appellant could have made but chose not to make            
         in the brief have not been considered and are deemed to be waived          
         [see 37 CFR § 41.37(c)(1)(vii)(2004)].                                     
              With respect to independent claims 1, 9, 10 and 18, the               
         examiner essentially finds that Bloch teaches the claimed                  
         invention except for teaching that the display device is a                 
         bistable display device.  The examiner cites Albert as teaching a          

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