Opinion ID: 780470
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Prima Facie Case of Obviousness

Text: 13 A prima facie case of obviousness typically exists when the ranges of a claimed composition overlap the ranges disclosed in the prior art. E.g., In re Geisler, 116 F.3d 1465, 1469, 43 USPQ2d 1362, 1365 (Fed.Cir.1997); In re Woodruff, 919 F.2d 1575, 1578, 16 USPQ2d 1934, 1936-37 (CCPA 1990); In re Malagari, 499 F.2d 1297, 1303, 182 USPQ 549, 553 (CCPA 1974). Such is the case here. Claim 5 of Peterson's application recites and Shah discloses superalloys having the following compositions: 14 Claim 5 Shah Rhenium about 1-3% 0- 7% Chromium about 14% 3-18% Cobalt about 9.5% 0-20% Tungsten about 3.8% 0-18% Tantalum about 2% 0-15% Molybdenum about 1.5% 0- 4% Carbon about 0.05% at least 0.002% Boron about 0.004% at least 0.002% Aluminum about 3-4.8% 3- 8% Titanium about 4.8% to about 3% 0- 5% Nickel balance balance 15 Clearly, Peterson's application and Shah contain overlapping ranges, as each range listed in Peterson's claim 5 lies within the corresponding range disclosed in Shah. Thus, Shah's ranges encompass Peterson's. 16 Peterson argues that, despite that overlap, it would not have been prima facie obvious to select the claimed narrower ranges of rhenium and chromium from Shah's broader ranges of those elements. We disagree. In cases involving overlapping ranges, we and our predecessor court have consistently held that even a slight overlap in range establishes a prima facie case of obviousness. E.g., In re Woodruff, 919 F.2d at 1578, 16 USPQ2d at 1936-37 (concluding that a claimed invention was rendered obvious by a prior art reference whose disclosed range (about 1-5% carbon monoxide) abutted the claimed range (more than 5% to about 25% carbon monoxide)); In re Malagari, 499 F.2d at 1303, 182 USPQ at 553 (concluding that a claimed invention was rendered prima facie obvious by a prior art reference whose disclosed range (0.020-0.035% carbon) overlapped the claimed range (0.030-0.070% carbon)); see also In re Geisler, 116 F.3d at 1469, 43 USPQ2d at 1365 (acknowledging that a claimed invention was rendered prima facie obvious by a prior art reference whose disclosed range (50-100 Angstroms) overlapped the claimed range (100-600 Angstroms)). We have also held that a prima facie case of obviousness exists when the claimed range and the prior art range do not overlap but are close enough such that one skilled in the art would have expected them to have the same properties. Titanium Metals Corp. v. Banner, 778 F.2d 775, 783, 227 USPQ 773, 779 (Fed.Cir.1985) (concluding that a claim directed to an alloy containing 0.8% nickel, 0.3% molybdenum, up to 0.1% maximum iron, balance titanium would have been prima facie obvious in view of a reference disclosing alloys containing 0.75% nickel, 0.25% molybdenum, balance titanium and 0.94% nickel, 0.31% molybdenum, balance titanium). 17 In light of that case law, we conclude that a prima facie case of obviousness was made out in this case. Selecting a narrow range from within a somewhat broader range disclosed in a prior art reference is no less obvious than identifying a range that simply overlaps a disclosed range. In fact, when, as here, the claimed ranges are completely encompassed by the prior art, the conclusion is even more compelling than in cases of mere overlap. The normal desire of scientists or artisans to improve upon what is already generally known provides the motivation to determine where in a disclosed set of percentage ranges is the optimum combination of percentages. See In re Boesch, 617 F.2d 272, 276, 205 USPQ 215, 219 (CCPA 1980) ([D]iscovery of an optimum value of a result effective variable in a known process is ordinarily within the skill of the art. (citations omitted)). 1 We therefore conclude that a prior art reference that discloses a range encompassing a somewhat narrower claimed range is sufficient to establish a prima facie case of obviousness. That is not to say that the claimed composition having a narrower range is unpatentable. Rather, the existence of overlapping or encompassing ranges shifts the burden to the applicant to show that his invention would not have been obvious, as we discuss below. Accordingly, because Shah's ranges encompass Peterson's, we conclude that the Board did not err in determining that Shah renders Peterson's claimed composition prima facie obvious. 2