BACKGROUND
The appellant's invention relates to a refrigerator with a separate, heat insulating
compartment having a drain pipe (specification, page 1).
Claim 5 is representative of the invention, and is reproduced as follows:
5. A refrigerator comprising:
a cooled interior food storage space;
at least one separate, thermally insulated compartment which is cooled to
approximately a same temperature as the food storage space, and which is
smaller than the food storage space; and
a drain pipe provided in the separate, thermally insulated compartment to
drain condensation water which forms when a heated food storage container
cools in the compartment.
The prior art references of record relied upon by the examiner in rejecting the
appealed claims are:
Shueh et al. 4,207,753 Jun. 17, 1980
Wilson 4,627,246 Dec. 9, 1986
Jones 5,216,900 Jun. 8, 1993
Claim 5 stands rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a) as being unpatentable over
Shueh.
Claim 6 stands rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a) as being unpatentable over
Shueh in view of Wilson.
Claim 7 stands rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a) as being unpatentable over
Shueh in view of Jones.
Claim 8 stands rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a) as being unpatentable in view
of Shueh in view of Wilson and Jones.
Rather than reiterate the conflicting viewpoints advanced by the examiner and
the appellant regarding the above-noted rejections, we make reference to the answer
(mailed October 19, 2005) for the examiner's complete reasoning in support of the
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