Ex Parte Creasor et al

Patent Trial and Appeal Board

Jun 28, 2013

10303399 (P.T.A.B. Jun. 28, 2013)

UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARKOFFICE
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
United States Patent and Trademark Office
Address: COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS
P.O. Box 1450
Alexandria, Virginia 22313-1450
www.uspto.gov
APPLICATION NO. FILING DATE FIRST NAMED INVENTOR ATTORNEY DOCKET NO. CONFIRMATION NO.
10/303,399 11/25/2002 Monte Creasor COREL/0006 3113
26290 7590 07/01/2013
PATTERSON & SHERIDAN, L.L.P.
3040 Post Oak Blvd.
Suite 1500
Houston, TX 77056
EXAMINER
GREENE, SABRINA LETICIA
ART UNIT PAPER NUMBER
2172
MAIL DATE DELIVERY MODE
07/01/2013 PAPER
Please find below and/or attached an Office communication concerning this application or proceeding.
The time period for reply, if any, is set in the attached communication.
PTOL-90A (Rev. 04/07)

UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
____________

BEFORE THE PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD
____________

Ex parte MONTE CREASOR, DAVID DELOREY,
RICHARD MUTZKE, and DONALD SLAUNWHITE
____________

Appeal 2010-010623
Application 10/303,399
Technology Center 2100
____________

Before JOSEPH F. RUGGIERO, MARC S. HOFF, and
ELENI MANTIS MERCADER, Administrative Patent Judges.

MANTIS MERCADER, Administrative Patent Judge.

DECISION ON APPEAL

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STATEMENT OF THE CASE
Appellants appeal under 35 U.S.C. § 134(a) from the final rejection of
claims 1-4, 7-29, 32-42, and 44. We have jurisdiction under 35 U.S.C.
§ 6(b).
We reverse.

THE INVENTION
Appellants’ claimed invention is directed to a clip book system for
storing multiple clipboards. For a copied clip item of data, an information
adder allows a user to define item information and group information, the
item information being a name, description or key word capable of
identifying the copied clip item of data, the group information being capable
of identifying a group to which the copied clip item belongs, and adds the
item information and the group information to the copied clip item of data in
the local memory (Spec. 5:24-25; 6:12-15, 19-22; Spec. 7:6-8). Thus,
multiple clip items can be entered in a categorized manner into groups or
“clip books” (Spec. 7:3-5).
Independent claim 1, reproduced below, is illustrative of the subject
matter on appeal.
1. A clip book system for storing multiple clipboards, which store
multiple clip items of data in a local memory, the clip book system
comprising:

an OS communicating unit for communicating with an operating
system which controls temporal buffering of each clip item in a buffer, for
requesting the operating system to notify when a clip item of data is placed
into the buffer and receiving notifications from the operating system;

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a data entry controller for, in response to each notification, copying
each clip item of data from the buffer into a selected section of the local
memory, and allowing formation of one or more groups of clip items, each
group containing one or more clip items of data stored in one or more
sections of the local memory;

an information adder for allowing a user, for the copied clip item of
data, to define item information and group information, the item information
being a name, description or key word capable of identifying the copied clip
item of data, the group information being capable of identifying a group to
which the copied clip item belongs, and for adding the item information
and the group information to the copied clip item of data in the local
memory;

a searching user interface for receiving search criteria input by a clip
item user, the search criteria including item information of one or more
desired clip items of data that the clip item user desires to receive, and for
presenting a search result to the clip item user; and

a searching unit for searching the groups of clip items for one or more
desired clip items of data based on the item information of the copied clip
items in the local memory and the search criteria received from the clip item
user through the searching user interface, and returning the search result to
the searching user interface for presenting the search result to the clip item
user.

REFERENCES and REJECTIONS
1. The Examiner rejected claims 1, 3, 4, 7-21, 26, 28, 29, 32-38, 42, and
44 under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a) as unpatentable over Crutcher (US Patent
No. 5,964,834; issued Oct. 12, 1999) and “Special Edition Using
Microsoft Office 2000,” 1999, 138-145 (hereinafter Microsoft Office).
Ans. 3-16.
2. The Examiner rejected claims 2 and 27 under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a) as
unpatentable over Crutcher and Microsoft Office as applied to claims
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Application 10/303,399

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above, and further in view of Takagi (US Patent No. 5,926,633; issued
Jul. 20, 1999). Ans. 16-17.
3. The Examiner rejected claims 22-25 and 39-41 under 35 U.S.C.
§ 103(a) as being unpatentable over Crutcher and Microsoft Office as
applied to claims above, and further in view of Eilebrecht (WO
00/73902 A1; published Dec. 7, 2000). Ans. 18-20.

ISSUE
The issue is whether the Examiner erred in finding that Crutcher in
combination with Microsoft Office teaches the limitation of
an information adder for allowing a user, for the copied clip item of
data, to define item information and group information, the item
information being a name, description or key word capable of
identifying the copied clip item of data, the group information being
capable of identifying a group to which the copied clip item belongs,
and for adding the item information and the group information to the
copied clip item of data in the local memory

as recited in claim 1.

ANALYSIS
Claims 1, 3, 4, 7-21, 26, 28, 29, 32-38, 42, and 44
The Examiner finds that Microsoft Office teaches an information adder
for allowing a user for the copied clip item of data, to define item
information and group information, the item information being a name,
description or key word capable of identifying the copied clip item of data,
the group information being capable of identifying a group to which the
copied clip item belongs, and for adding the item information and the group
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information to the copied clip item of data in the local memory (Ans. 4,
Microsoft Office 138-145).
Appellants argue, inter alia, that Microsoft Office does not teach or
suggest any mechanism that allows a user to define such item information
for the copied clip item of data, or add such information to a clip item as
recited in claim 1 (App. Br. 24-25). At best, Microsoft Office teaches icons
and ScreenTips (pg. 139, ll. 1-5). Icons can distinguish the application data
types (i.e., whether it is an Excel document or a range of worksheet data),
but cannot identify each clip item (pg. 139, ll. 1-4). ScreenTips display the
beginning of items that contain text or numbers, but cannot identify each clip
item for items having the same beginning (App. Br. 24).
Thus, we agree with Appellants’ that Microsoft Office does not teach an
information adder for allowing a user for the copied clip item of data to
define item information and group information.
Accordingly, we reverse the Examiner’s rejection of claim 1 and for the
same reasons, the rejections of claims 3, 4, 7-21, 26, 28, 29, 32-38, 42, and
44.

Claims 2, 22-25, 27, and 39-41
The additional references of Takagi or Eilebrecht do not cure the
above cited deficiencies. Accordingly, we also reverse the Examiner’s
rejections of claims 2, 22-25, 27, and 39-41.

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CONCLUSION
The Examiner erred in finding that Crutcher in combination with
Microsoft Office teaches the limitation of
an information adder for allowing a user, for the copied clip item of
data, to define item information and group information, the item
information being a name, description or key word capable of
identifying the copied clip item of data, the group information being
capable of identifying a group to which the copied clip item belongs,
and for adding the item information and the group information to the
copied clip item of data in the local memory

as recited in claim 1.

DECISION
The Examiner’s decision rejecting claims 1-4, 7-29, 32-42, and 44 is
reversed.

REVERSED

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