Ex Parte MARTINO et al - Page 3




              Appeal No. 2006-0909                                                                 Page 3                                        
              Application No. 09/282,320                                                                                                         




                     Claims 1-2, 4-7, 9-15, and 18-20 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a) as                                                 
              obvious over U.S. Patent No. 5,337,175 ("Kamaya"); U.S. Patent No. 5,940,229                                                       
              ("Baumgarten"); and U.S. Patent No. 5,394,198 ("Janow ").  Claim 3 stands rejected                                                 
              under §103(a) over Kamaya; Baumgarten; Janow; and U.S. Patent No. 5,532,737                                                        
              ("Braun").  Claim 8 stands rejected under §103(a) over Kamaya; Baumgarten; Janow;                                                  
              and U.S. Patent No. 6,079,862 ("Kawashima").  Claims 16 and 17 stand rejected under                                                
              §103(a) over Kamaya; Baumgarten; Janow; and U.S. Patent No. 5,943,603 ("Parulski").                                                


                                                      II. OPINION                                                                                
                     Our opinion offers some observations and then addresses the rejections.                                                     


                                                   A. OBSERVATIONS                                                                               
                     "[C]ompliance with the ‘written description’ requirement of §112 is a question of                                           
              fact. . . ."  Vas-Cath, Inc. v. Mahurkar, 935 F.2d 1555, 1563, 19 USPQ2d 1111, 1116                                                
              (Fed. Cir. 1991) (citing In re Gosteli, 872 F.2d 1008, 1012, 10 USPQ2d 1614, 1618                                                  
              (Fed. Cir. 1989); Utter v. Hiraga, 845 F.2d 993, 998, 6 USPQ2d 1709, 1714 (Fed. Cir.                                               
              1988)).  "'Although [the applicant] does not have to describe exactly the subject matter                                           
              claimed, . . . the description must clearly allow persons of ordinary skill in the art to                                          
              recognize that [he or she] invented what is claimed.'"  935 F.2d at 1563, 19 USPQ2d                                                
















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