Appeal 2007-0223
Application 09/752,090
The second issue is whether Appellants have shown that the Examiner
erred in finding that Aycock discloses "said collaborative source including a
supplier, a manufacturing representative, and . . . an electronic catalog."
Aycock discloses a supplier evaluation system 60 at Figure 2 designed
to allow generating a RFP/RFQ in an efficient manner by enabling access to
a plurality of evaluation system databases, to enable downloading of a
RFP/RFQ to a supplier, and to enable the supplier to have limited access to
the evaluation system databases (e.g., col. 9, ll. 3-21). The system includes a
specification database 62, a vendor database 64, and a "product database 66
that identifies product performance and reliability for existing products
supplied by existing and prior vendors" (col. 9, ll. 59-62). A "business
terminal system 70 provides a graphic user interface for a system designer
designing the RFP/RFQ and a buyer evaluating suppliers" (col. 10,
ll. 23-25). Alternatively, the business terminal system 70a may be remotely
accessible to the main processing system via a network 72 (col. 10,
ll. 20-23). The main processing system includes a supplier interface 69
enabling remote access of a supplier site 74 via communications network 72
(col. 10, ll. 55-62). The supplier may selectively access the databases of the
supplier evaluation system (e.g., col. 10, ll. 62-67).
The system in Figure 2 of Aycock is for "qualifying suppliers, parts,
and technologies." The product database 66 in Aycock corresponds to the
claimed source of an "electronic catalog." The business terminal systems 70
and 70a may provide source input from "a buyer evaluating suppliers"
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