REVERSED

1600 Biotechnology and Organic Chemistry
Ex Parte Hann WALSH 103(a) FULBRIGHT & JAWORSKI L.L.P.
method of screening a candidate substance
Sherr et al. U.S. 6,586,203 B1 Jul. 1, 2003

1700 Chemical & Materials Engineering
Ex Parte Suzuki et al PAK 103(a) OBLON, SPIVAK, MCCLELLAND MAIER & NEUSTADT, P.C.
37 C.F.R. § 41.50(b)
heat shrinkable film
Shiraki US 4,386,125 May 31, 1983
Lind US 6,074,715 Jun. 13, 2000
Teranishi US 6,184,289 B1 Feb. 6, 2001
Matsui US 6,841,261 B2 Jan. 11, 2005

Ex Parte McLaughlin et al HANLON 103(a) DRINKER, BIDDLE & REATH (DC)
method for the reduction of impedance of a surface of a silver electrode
Takahashi Japanese document 11-135507A May 21, 1999
Buck US 6,294,062 B1 September 25, 2001
Okuda US 5,874,174 February 23, 1999

Ex Parte Shaw NAGUMO 103(a) CHEVRON PHILLIPS CHEMICAL COMPANY
process of olefin polymerization during the "start up" phase in a seedbed reactor
Shinji Abe et al. U.S. Patent 6,472,484 B1 (2002)

Ex Parte Brunner HASTINGS 103(a) KRATON POLYMERS U.S. LLC WESTHOLLOW TECHNOLOGY CENTER
polymer composition useful as an adhesive
Asahara EP 669,350 A1 published Aug. 30, 1995 or US 5,532,319 published July 6,1996
Halasa US 5,239,009, published Aug. 24, 1993
Rodgers US 5,272,220, published Dec. 21, 1993
Spence US 5,552,493, published Sep. 3, 1996
Diehl US 5,372,870, published Dec. 13, 1994
“[R]ejections on obviousness grounds cannot be sustained by mere conclusory statements; instead, there must be some articulated reasoning with some rational underpinning to support the legal conclusion of obviousness.” In re Kahn, 441 F.3d 977, 988 (Fed. Cir. 2006) (quoted with approval in KSR Int'l Co. v. Teleflex Inc.,550 U.S. 398, 418 (2007)). The mere fact that the prior art could be modified as proposed by the Examiner is not sufficient to establish a prima facie case of obviousness. See In re Fritch, 972 F.2d 1260, 1266 (Fed. Cir. 1992). The Examiner must explain why the prior art would have suggested to one of ordinary skill in the art the desirability of the modification. See id.

Ex Parte Berryman SMITH 103(a) BIRCH STEWART KOLASCH & BIRCH
process for manufacturing a thick film circuit on a titanium or titanium-alloy substrate
Zimmerman, DE383598 A1, May 23, 1990
Sreeram, U.S. 6,551,720 B2, April 22, 2003
Lindson, U.S. 2,959,503, November 8, 1960

2100 Computer Architecture and Software
Ex Parte Lee et al SIU 103(a) IBM CORP. (WIP) c/o WALDER INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW, P.C.
circuit simulation and, more particularly, to simulation of non-leading edge transitions
Chung US 4,808,840 Feb. 28, 1989
Fusco US 6,067,652 May 23, 2000
Rahmat US 6,567,773 B1 May 20, 2003
“A factfinder should be aware, of course, of the distortion caused by hindsight bias and must be cautious of arguments reliant upon ex post reasoning.” KSR Int’l Co. v. Teleflex, Inc., 550 U.S. 398, 421 (2007).

Ex Parte Couts et al DIXON 103(a) MOTOROLA INC
instant messaging system and method for sending a canned reply
Aravamudan US 6,301,609 B1 Oct. 9, 2001
Ogle US 6,430,604 B1 Aug. 6, 2002 (Filed Aug. 3, 1999)
Manabe US 6,584,494 B1 June 24, 2003 (Filed Oct. 29, 1999)
Kato US 2004/0048615 A1 Pub. Date Mar. 11, 2004 (Filed Sep. 10, 2003)2
Whitten US 6,993,564 B2 Jan. 31, 2006 (Filed Dec. 22, 2000)

2600 Communications
Ex Parte Preisach KRIVAK 103(a) SUGHRUE MION, PLLC
integrated optical transceiver circuit
Aronson US 2004/0091028 A1 May 13, 2004 (filed Jul. 28, 2003)
A rejection based on § 103 must rest upon a factual basis rather than conjecture or speculation. “Where the legal conclusion [of obviousness] is not supported by facts it cannot stand.” In re Warner, 379 F.2d 1011, 1017 (CCPA 1967). See also In re Kahn, 441 F.3d 977, 988 (Fed. Cir. 2006).

2800 Semiconductors, Electrical and Optical Systems and Components
Ex Parte Sheppard SAADAT 103(a) DOUGHERTY, CLEMENTS, HOFER & BERNARD
method for making a textile article comprising providing a two-sided Jacquard woven textile and transferring a graphic impression on the textile
Terrasse US 2,163,769 Jun. 27, 1939
Stark US 3,669,818 Jun. 13, 1972
Otto US 4,769,879 Sep. 13, 1988

Ex Parte Schulz SAADAT 103(a) MCDONNELL, BOEHNEN, HULBERT & BERGHOFF, LLP
grating-based biomedical sensor device which operates based on photonic crystal technology
Pien US 2003/0077660 A1 Apr. 24, 2003
Murata US 6,618,116 B1 Sep. 9, 2003
Yarussi US 6,665,070 B1 Dec. 16, 2003

Ex Parte Greenwald et al McCARTHY, Opinion Dissenting filed by BAHR 103(a) BARNES & THORNBURG LLP
telescoping slide assembly of a type permitting technicians to gain access to a chassis mounted on the assembly in a rack of computer equipment
Brock
Lauchner
Cheng
Klakovich
Where, as here, the proposed modification to the assembly of the primary reference would require a substantial reconstruction and redesign of the elements shown in the primary reference, the modification is likely unobvious. See In re Ratti, 270 F.2d 810, 813 (CCPA 1959).

3600 Transportation, Construction, Electronic Commerce, Agriculture, National Security, and License & Review
Ex Parte Cunningham et al PATE, III 103(a) WOLF GREENFIELD & SACKS, P.C.
strap for securing a snowboarding boot to a snowboard
Couderc US 2003/0127832 A1 Jul. 10, 2003
Naito US 2004/0135348 A1 Jul. 15, 2004
Recognition of the problem is part of the invention as a whole. In re Sponnoble, 405 F.2d 578, 585 (CCPA 1969) (“[D]iscovery of the source of a problem” is part of the “subject matter as a whole” to be considered in determining obviousness).

Ex Parte Iwasaki et al PATE III 103(a) WENDEROTH, LIND & PONACK, L.L.P.
automobile cooling system which can control a shutter that varies the cooling air provided to an automatic transmission
Nixon US 4,476,820 Oct. 16, 1984
Tsuchikawa US 4,539,943 Sep. 10, 1985
Temmesfeld US 4,756,279 Jul. 12, 1988
Suzuki US 5,090,270 Feb. 25, 1992

3700 Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing, and Products & Designs
Ex Parte Korb et al PATE III 103(a) MCCARTER & ENGLISH, LLP
method for making a composite utility knife blade
Behrman US 1,734,554 Nov. 5, 1929
Young US 2,286,047 Jun. 9, 1942
Anderson et al. US 3,315,548 Apr. 25, 1967
Anderson US 4,109,380 Aug. 29, 1978
Cox US 5,575,185 Nov. 19, 1996
Wilson US 5,701,788 Dec. 30, 1997
Huang US 5,875,551 Mar. 2, 1999

AFFIRMED-IN-PART

2400 Networking, Mulitplexing, Cable, and Security
Ex Parte Benedikt et al BARRY 103(a) RYAN, MASON & LEWIS, LLP
"VeriWeb[,] automatically discovers and systematically tests all execution paths that can be followed by a user in a Web application."
Monier US 5,974,455 Oct. 26, 1999
Gupta et al US 6,199,079 Mar. 6, 2001
Vine et al US 2002/0056053 May 9, 2002

2800 Semiconductors, Electrical and Optical Systems and Components
Ex Parte Fung et al OWENS 103(a) AVAGO TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED
light emitting diode display and a method formaking it
Usui 3,869,637 Mar. 4, 1975
Appeldorn 4,146,883 Mar. 27, 1979
Stein 4,853,593 Aug. 1, 1989
Aitken 6,998,776 B2 Feb. 14, 2006 (filed Apr. 16, 2003)

Ex Parte Kelkar et al JEFFERY 103(a) SCHMEISER, OLSEN & WATTS
oscillation circuit having a LC oscillator and a differentially-coupled transistor
Cruz US 6,016,082 Jan. 18, 2000
Ravi US 6,850,122 B2 Feb. 1, 2005
Hong US 7,161,442 B2 Jan. 9, 2007 (filed Jan. 6, 2003)