REVERSED

1700 Chemical & Materials Engineering
1789 Ex Parte Paik et al 11/421,965 FRANKLIN 103(a) STEPTOE & JOHNSON LLP EXAMINER GEORGE, PATRICIA ANN

1731 Ex Parte Fuller et al 11/351,416 KRATZ 103(a) BASF CATALYSTS LLC EXAMINER ABU ALI, SHUANGYI

3600 Transportation, Construction, Electronic Commerce, Agriculture, National Security, and License & Review
3694 Ex Parte Mehus et al 11/395,361 CRAWFORD 103(a) Brooks & Cameron, PLLC EXAMINER OJIAKU, CHIKAODINAKA

See Texas Instr. Inc. v. United States Int'l Trade Comm'n, 988 F.2d 1165, 1171 (Fed. Cir. 1993) (Claim language cannot be mere surplusage. An express limitation cannot be read out of the claim).

Texas Instruments, Inc. v. Int’l Trade Comm’n, 988 F.2d 1165, 26 USPQ2d 1018 (Fed. Cir. 1993) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 716.04

In Spears, the two levels of benefits are never different, and thus the “communicating” step would impermissibly be rendered superfluous. See Unique Concepts, Inc. v. Brown, 939 F.2d 1558, 1563 (Fed. Cir. 1991) (two distinct claim elements should each be given full effect).

3700 Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing, and Products & Design
3733 Ex Parte Walder et al 09/956,055 BAHR 103(a) SEAGER, TUFTE & WICKHEM, LLC EXAMINER PHILOGENE, PEDRO

AFFIRMED-IN-PART

3600 Transportation, Construction, Electronic Commerce, Agriculture, National Security, and License & Review
3691 Ex Parte Clater 11/321,649 CRAWFORD 103(a) BLANK ROME LLP EXAMINER HAMILTON, LALITA M

Moreover, a teaching away requires disparagement. See In re Gurley, 27 F.3d 551, 553 (Fed. Cir. 1994) (“[a]reference may be said to teach away when a person of ordinary skill, upon [examining] the reference, would be discouraged from following the path set out in the reference, or would be led in a direction divergent from the path that was taken by the applicant”).

Gurley, In re, 27 F.3d 551, 31 USPQ2d 1130 (Fed. Cir. 1994). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2123, 2145

AFFIRMED

1700 Chemical & Materials Engineering

1761 Ex Parte Chan et al 10/783,729 SCHEINER 103(a) Legal Department (M-495) EXAMINER HARDEE, JOHN R

1798 Ex Parte Monnerie et al 11/285,454 FRANKLIN 102(b)/103(a) FROMMER LAWRENCE & HAUG EXAMINER PIZIALI, ANDREW T

It is the claims that define the invention and, therefore, the absence in the prior art of subject matter not included in the claims cannot be a basis for patentability. See Constant v. Advanced Micro-Devices, Inc., 848 F.2d 1560, 1571 (Fed. Cir. 1988); see In re Self, 671 F.2d 1344, 1348 (CCPA 1982) (“Many of appellant's arguments fail from the outset because . . . they are not based on limitations appearing in the claims.”).

Constant v. Advanced Micro-Devices, Inc., 848 F.2d 1560, 7 USPQ2d 1057 (Fed. Cir. 1988) . . . . . .706.02, 2128.02, 2129, 2145

Self, In re, 671 F.2d 1344, 213 USPQ 1 (CCPA 1982). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2131.05

1762 Ex Parte Okubo et al 10/543,662 HANLON 102(b)/103(a) BIRCH STEWART KOLASCH & BIRCH EXAMINER METZMAIER, DANIEL S

1744 Ex Parte Sreenivasan et al 10/781278 GARRIS 102(b) U.T. Systems Board of Regents c/o MII EXAMINER LUK, EMMANUEL S

2400 Networking, Mulitplexing, Cable, and Security
2432 Ex Parte Svendsen et al 10/813,839 COURTENAY 102(b)/103(a) FlashPoint Technology and Withrow & Terranova EXAMINER KIM, JUNG W

2444 Ex Parte Woodard et al 10/683,564 NAPPI 103(a) ADVANTAGE LAW GROUP, LLC EXAMINER BAYARD, DJENANE M

2427 Ex Parte Karaoguz et al 10/675,458 EASTHOM 103(a) McAndrews Held & Malloy, LTD EXAMINER LANGHNOJA, KUNAL N

3600 Transportation, Construction, Electronic Commerce, Agriculture, National Security, and License & Review
3691 Ex Parte Nathans et al 09/924,971 CRAWFORD 103(a) Franklin B. Levin, Esq. Pay Rent, Built Credit, Inc. EXAMINER TINKLER, MURIEL S

3700 Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing, and Products & Design
3737 Ex Parte Lin et al 10/915,177 BAHR 103(a) MCANDREWS HELD & MALLOY, LTD EXAMINER CWERN, JONATHAN