Appeal No. 2006-2284 Page 18
Application No. 09/912,211
construction, the limitations merely require counting the number of objects in the
container.
b. Obviousness Determination
Bowers teaches that "data generated by the exterior book drop 32 are used by
[a] database 66 to create a bin contents report and a reshelving report." (Col. 13, ll. 52-
54.) "FIG. 7 is a sample of a reshelving report 116 generated by five articles 22 in [the]
collection bin 112," (col. 14, ll. 4-5), of the exterior book drop 32. "The report 116
provides a listing of articles 22 ordered according to shelf location. The shelf location
may be the row of shelves which contains the respective article, or any other
designating information to assist [an] employee in returning the articles 22, such as
floor/shelf location." (Id. at ll. 5-10.) Looking at the shelving report 116, we find that the
employee would have counted the total number of objects in the exterior book drop 32
or the number to be reshelved to each shelf location. Therefore, we affirm the rejection
of claim 51.
III. CONCLUSION
In summary, the rejections of claims 23, 24, 26-32, 42, and 44-50 under § 103(a)
are reversed. The rejections of claims 33-37, 51, and 52 under § 103(a), however, are
affirmed.
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