Ex Parte Lagasse - Page 7

               Appeal 2006-2711                                                                            
               Application 10/662,935                                                                      
               member or bolt 29 of Thulin integrally with the knuckle joint member 25.                    
               We therefore conclude that it would have been obvious to modify Thulin as                   
               proposed by the Examiner, in order to facilitate tightening of the connection,              
               to arrive at the subject matter recited in claim 13.  The rejection of claim 13,            
               and claims 1, 2, 8, and 16, which stand or fall with claim 13, as unpatentable              
               over Thulin in view of Warren is sustained.                                                 
                      We also sustain the rejections of claim 3 as unpatentable over Thulin                
               in view of Warren and Wellington, claim 4 as unpatentable over Thulin in                    
               view of Warren and Campbell, and claim 5 as unpatentable over Thulin in                     
               view of Warren and Judell, as Appellant has not challenged such apart from                  
               the rejection of claim 13 (see In re Nielson, 816 F.2d 1567, 1572, 2USPQ2d                  
               1525, 1528 (Fed. Cir. 1987)).                                                               
                      Appellant separately argues the further combination of Smith with                    
               Thulin and Warren.  The issue with regard to the rejections of claims 6 and                 
               14 as unpatentable over Thulin in view of Warren and Smith and claims 9,                    
               10, and 12 as unpatentable over Thulin in view of Warren, Judell, and Smith                 
               is whether Smith would have suggested providing a complementary boss on                     
               each of the knuckle joint members of Thulin rather than on just one of the                  
               two members.                                                                                
                      The Examiner relies on Smith for its teaching of providing                           
               complementary ledges and bosses on both sections of the joint of a water-                   
               pipe.  Specifically, as best seen in Fig. 2 of Smith, the mating face of one                
               section of the joint is formed with an inner rim e (a ledge) and an annular                 
               flange h (a boss), the annular flange provided with an internal screw, and the              
               outer surface of the other section is formed with an annular groove, the                    
               groove receiving a ring d provided with an external screw onto which the                    

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