Share on LinkedInShare on LinkedIn

ARTICLE · 13 APRIL 2017

Shoulder Replacement Apparatus Not Anticipated By Prior Art Requiring Modification To Satisfy Claim Language

In an appeal from the USPTO where the PTAB affirmed the examiner's rejection of Chudik's claims as anticipated by two separate prior art references, the CAFC reversed because substantial evidence did not support...

United StatesIntellectual Property

IN RE: CHUDIK: March 27, 2017. Before Dyk, Reyna, and Stoll.

Takeaway:

  • A prior art reference that must be distorted from its obvious design does not anticipate claims.

Procedural Posture:

In an appeal from the USPTO where the PTAB affirmed the examiner's rejection of Chudik's claims as anticipated by two separate prior art references, the CAFC reversed because substantial evidence did not support the PTAB's decision.

Synopsis:

  • Anticipation: The claims on appeal were directed to a device used in shoulder replacement surgery requiring "a protruding surface on a first side arranged to engage the surface of a cavity formed in a glenoid extending between peripheral glenoid surfaces." The PTAB sustained the examiner's anticipation rejection under two separate prior art references because in each, surfaces could be "arranged" to engage with the specified regions even if they were not described or depicted as actually engaging. The CAFC agreed that the

We operate a free-to-view policy, asking only that you register in order to read all of our content. Please login or register to view the rest of this article.

See more popular content from