Appeal No. 2006-0813
Reexamination Control No. 90/006,235
The examiner’s rejection of Claim 17 combines the teachings of McLaughlin with the
teachings of Marder and Roberts.
Claim 17 does not require a removable data entry device. Rather, Claim 17 requires
a removable partition between drawers so the drawers of the nursing station can be
reconfigured by substituting a larger drawer in a space occupied by two or more smaller
drawers. The examiner found McLaughlin teaches all the limitations of Claim 17 except the
removable partition limitation. Final Office action mailed June 29, 2004, p. 5 (“McLaughlin
fails to teach drawers of different sizes/partitions in the housing.”). Appellant’s appeal brief
does not assert that McLaughlin fails to teach any of the other limitations of Claim 17.
Appeal Brief, p. 5.
McLaughlin, Marder and Roberts
We agree that McLaughlin teaches all the limitations of Claim 17, except for drawers
separated by a removable partition. However, McLaughlin does teach the use of drawers
of different sizes and configurations. McLaughlin’s Figure 1 shows drawers labeled 1-4,
with Drawer 4, being depicted to be about twice the height of each of Drawers 1-3. Thus,
McLaughlin discloses the concept of one drawer occupying the same space as two smaller
drawers. McLaughlin’s Figure 1 is reproduced below:
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