Novelty (related to Prior designs)
(Conclusion) Novelty should be found. (Applicant won.)
The three grooves in the applied design have straight edges, and the width of the grooves tapers toward the ends. This gives the viewer an aesthetic impression that the grooves are composed of thin straight lines with a sharp point at one end, which is inorganic and very clean, and gives the impression of flowing from the sidewall to the equator. On the other hand, the three grooves of the prior design, combined with the fact that there is basically no change in the width of the grooves as a whole, give the viewer the impression that the grooves of the same width are curved and twisted, or, to put it another way, give the viewer the impression that cylindrical bacteria or cells with rounded tips are arranged in an unorganized manner.
<Writer: Hideki Takaishi (Attorney-at-law licensed in Japan and California)>
https://www.ip.courts.go.jp/app/files/hanrei_en/699/000699.pdf