Ex Parte Dacosta - Page 6



          Appeal No. 2006-2208                                                        
          Application No. 10/782,265                                                  

          indicates that the different appearance is achieved by virtue of            
          having their associated content (answer, pages 18-21).                      


               As a general proposition, in rejecting claims under                    
          35 U.S.C. § 103, the examiner bears the initial burden of                   
          presenting a prima facie case of obviousness.  See In re                    
          Rijckaert, 9 F.3d 1531, 1532, 28 USPQ2d 1955, 1956 (Fed. Cir.               
          1993) and In re Fine, 837 F.2d 1071, 1074, 5 USPQ2d 1596, 1598              
          (Fed. Cir. 1988).  A prima facie case of obviousness is                     
          established when the teachings of the prior art itself would                
          appear to have suggested the claimed subject matter to one of               
          ordinary skill in the art.  See In re Bell, 991 F.2d 781, 783, 26           
          USPQ2d 1529, 1531 (Fed. Cir. 1993); 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).  In                  
          considering the question of the obviousness of the claimed                  
          invention in view of the prior art relied upon, the Examiner is             
          expected to make the factual determination set forth in Graham v.           
          John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 17, 148 USPQ 459, 467 (1966), and to            
          provide a reason why one having ordinary skill in the pertinent             
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