Patent Prosecutor Alert: When Is A Rejection A New Rejection?

What Exactly is the "Thrust of the Rejection?"

Every so often a decision comes out of the USPTO's Patent Trial & Appeal Board (PTAB) or the Federal Circuit that has immediate value for patent prosecutors. For example, back in June, the Federal Circuit analyzed the degree of corroboration necessary for an In re Katz declaration. Earlier this week, the Court reviewed an appeal from an inter partes reexamination in Honeywell Intl. Inc. v. Mexichem Amanco Holding S.A. de C.V. et al. to determine whether or not the Board's reliance on a reference different from those of the patent examiners underlying rejections constituted a "new rejection." The Court's discussion, especially that found in the dissent, may help shed light on this somewhat amorphous standard.