Appeal No. 94-2973
Application No. 07/956,529
added). Appellant’s claims clearly state that the
salts of component (iii) are alkali metal salts.
ALKALI METALS ARE, BY DEFINITION, NOT POLYVALENT.
[Emphasis in original.]
The examiner further asserts that “[e]ven if the salts shown
at col. 8 of Shioji are in fact not alkali metal salts, the fact
is that Shioji has disclosed monovalent alkali metal salts at
col. 5" (Answer, p. 11). Shioji discloses that (col. 5,
lines 30-41):
The acid type monomers [used for obtaining the
carboxyl group-containing water-soluble polymer (a)]
. . . can be used as acid form monomers or as salt form
monomers obtained by neutralizing the acid form
monomers with an alkali substance. When an acid form
monomer is to be used, at least 30 mol % of the
carboxyl group in the produced carboxyl group-
containing water-soluble polymer (a) is desired to be
neutralized with an alkali substance before the polymer
is put to use, in due consideration of the effect of
dispersion to be obtained [emphasis added].
Claim 1 recites a method of preparing a magnesium hydroxide
slurry comprising “forming an aqueous mixture of” magnesium
hydroxide, polymeric anionic dispersants and alkali metal salts.
Shioji discloses that an alkali substance neutralizes the
carboxyl group in the produced carboxyl group-containing water-
soluble polymer (a) “before the polymer is put to use.”
Therefore, the alkali metal salts disclosed in Shioji are not in
mixture with the carboxyl group-containing polymers but rather
are chemically combined with them to form a polymer salt (compare
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