Appeal No. 1996-0841
Application No. 07/928,443
Claim 1 is representative of the subject matter on appeal
and reads as follows:
1. In a gas sensor array for detecting individual gas
constituents in a gas mixture, said array being composed of a
plurality of individual sensor elements, which are the basis
of semiconductive metal oxides, said individual sensor
elements being respectively applied on an electrically non-
conductive substrate, with the array being provided with a
contact electrode arrangement for measuring the electrical
conductivity of each element, the array being provided with a
heating arrangement for heating at a predetermined operating
temperature with a protective sheath that protects the array
against external mechanical influences and a fastening base
wherein the individual sensor elements have prescribed
individual operating temperatures allocated to them and
wherein differences between the respective sensor signals are
formed for detecting the individual gas constituents, with
these differences being supplied to a processing unit, the
improvements comprising at least one of the individual sensor
elements comprising a catalytically inactive
$-Ga O thin film being provided with a catalytically active
23
material, and with all the individual sensor elements being
provided on a common substrate in a planar arrangement.
As evidence of obviousness, the examiner relies on the
following prior art:
Firth et al. (Firth) 4,057,996 Nov. 15,
1977
Leary 4,347,732 Sep. 7,
1982
Clifford 4,542,640 Sep.
24, 1985
Takahashi et al. (Takahashi) 4,574,264 Mar.
4, 1986
Forster 4,584,867 Apr. 29,
1986
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