REVERSED
Tech Center 1700 Chemical & Materials Engineering
1787 Ex Parte FUJII et al 12025903 - (D) KRATZ 112(1)/103 BURR & BROWN, PLLC STACHEL, KENNETH J
Tech Center 2400 Networking, Multiplexing, Cable, and Security
2424 Ex Parte Agnihotri et al 12982463 - (D) McKONE 103 MAYER & WILLIAMS PC BAIG, SAHARA
2476 Ex Parte MANN et al 13536517 - (D) STRAUSS 103 Kramer & Amado, P.C. ASEFA, DEBEBE A
2491 Ex Parte Foster et al 10192999 - (D) BUSCH 102/103 HP Inc, POPHAM, JEFFREY D
Tech Center 2600 Communications
2617 Ex Parte Ohnishi 12252640 - (D) WHITEHEAD JR. 103 NIXON & VANDERHYE, P,C AMINI, JAVID A
Tech Center 3600 Transportation, Construction, Electronic Commerce, Agriculture, National Security, and License & Review
3628 Ex Parte Isaacson 12116363 - (D) CRAWFORD 112(2)/103 HAYNES AND BOONE, LLP (26530) JOSEPH, TONY A S
Tech Center 3700 Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing, and Products & Design
3765 Ex Parte Kleinert 13042346 - (D) WARNER 103/double patenting MIDDLETON & REUTLINGER ANNIS, KHALED
AFFIRMED-IN-PART
Tech Center 1600 Biotechnology and Organic Chemistry
1657 Ex Parte Jamieson et al 12079274 - (D) TOWNSEND 103 103 LEVINE BAGADE HAN, LLP CONSTANTINE, CHARLES Z
Tech Center 2400 Networking, Multiplexing, Cable, and Security
2463 Ex Parte Fedyk et al 14521174 - (D) HOFF 103 103/double patenting 41.50 103 Kramer & Amado, P.C. GHOWRWAL, OMAR J
Citing Leo Pharmaceutical Products, Ltd. v. Rea, 726 F.3d 1346 (Fed. Cir. 2013) as controlling precedent, Appellants contend "[i]f the claimed methods were in fact obvious over the combination of cited disclosures, one would not expect it to have taken decades for such a combination to have been made." (Appeal Br. 17, 19.) We agree with the Examiner (Final Action 21-22; Ans. 14--15) that Leo Pharmaceuticals does not control the outcome here. In Leo Pharmaceuticals, the fact that decades separated the prior art was not in and of itself sufficient to establish non-obviousness; indeed, the timing was simply icing on the cake. Leo Pharmaceuticals, 726 F.3d at 1356-57 (finding, before even reaching the secondary considerations, that there was no motivation to combine or expectation of success; the problem was not known, the possible approaches to solving the problem were not known or finite, and the solution was not predictable.)
The court noted that "the objective indicia-taken in sum" was probative of nonobviousness-that evidence included significant unexpected results showing the prior art formulations resulted in degradation of a component that the prior art did not even recognize had a stability problem, as well as commercial success. Id. at 1358-59, 1350-51, 1353-54. In contrast to the facts of Leo Pharmaceuticals, here, Appellants have not established any unexpected results or solution to an unrecognized problem.
AFFIRMED
Tech Center 1600 Biotechnology and Organic Chemistry
1611 Ex Parte Alberius et al 12228366 - (D) NEW 112(2)/102/103 THE PROCTER & GAMBLE COMPANY JAVIER, MELISSA L
Tech Center 1700 Chemical & Materials Engineering
1787 Ex Parte Jansen et al 13115315 - (D) COLAIANNI 103 CANTOR COLBURN LLP SHAH, SAMIR
Tech Center 2100 Computer Architecture and Software
2116 Ex Parte KAPOOR et al 13475854 - (D) STEPHENS 103 NXP B.V. NEVELN, JOSHUA
Tech Center 2400 Networking, Multiplexing, Cable, and Security
2425 Ex Parte Shanks et al 12098747 - (D) JURGOVAN 103 THE DIRECTV GROUP, INC. EKPO, NNENNA NGOZI
2443 Ex Parte Gabara 13365339 - (D) BUSCH 103 Thaddeus Gabara SHIN, KYUNG H
2484 Ex Parte BHATTACHARYA 12750020 - (D) WHITEHEAD, JR. 103 THE FARRELL LAW FIRM, P.C. CHOWDHURY, NIGAR
Tech Center 2600 Communications
2686 Ex Parte Tarte et al 12284965 - (D) PYONIN 103 PANASONIC AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEM COMPANY OF AMERICA BROWN, VERNAL U
Tech Center 2800 Semiconductors, Electrical and Optical Systems and Components
2815 Ex Parte Raravikar et al 11731524 - (D) FRANKLIN 112(2) 103 BLAKELY SOKOLOFF TAYLOR & ZAFMAN CHEN, DAVID Z
Tech Center 3600 Transportation, Construction, Electronic Commerce, Agriculture, National Security, and License & Review
3625 Ex Parte PARK et al 12178272 - (D) BAYAT 103 THE FARRELL LAW FIRM, P.C. PALAVECINO, KATHLEEN GAGE
3634 Ex Parte Hicks et al 11884689 - (D) MURPHY 103 Wells St John P,S, JOHNSON, BLAIR M
3645 Ex Parte Uhl et al 11568056 - (D) MURPHY 102/103 SCHWEGMAN LUNDBERG & WOESSNER, P.A. LOBO, IAN J
Tech Center 3700 Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing, and Products & Design
3781 Ex Parte Waymire et al 13317318 - (D) HILL 103 Ingrid McTaggart ANDERSON, DON M
3782 Ex Parte Boino et al 12542052 - (D) CALVE 102/103 112(2) FISH & RICHARDSON P,C (BO) THEIS, MATTHEW T
