Appeal No. 95-2441
Application 07/987,211
choline for use as a feed additive. However, those products
were not useful in the feed of ruminants, because they
decomposed in the rumen. To solve the aforementioned problems
and use choline as a feed additive, Iijima teaches persons
skilled in the art to coat choline or one of its derivatives
with a hydrophobic binder to prevent solubilization or
decomposition by the rumen solution (Iijima, col. 5, l. 50-
53). The amount of choline in the granular choline
composition prior to being coated with the hydrophobic binder
preferably is 40 to 70% by weight, more preferably 40 to 55%
by weight (Iijima, col. 2, l. 47-50). Even assuming persons
having ordinary skill in the art would have been led by
Iijima’s teaching to coat choline chloride on a cereal carrier
with a hydrophobic binder, an assumption inconsistent with
Sibbald’s recommendation of a density of 0.8 to 2.0, persons
having ordinary skill in the art would have had to stretch
Iijima’s teaching to find a reasonable suggestion to prepare a
“core comprising approximately 70% by weight of choline
chloride on a cereal” (Claim 26). Moreover, to stretch
Iijima’s teaching to include about 70% choline chloride on a
cereal carrier appears to be inconsistent with Iijima’s
preferences and would appear to serve no purpose whatsoever.
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