Appeal No. 1996-3867
Application No. 08/153,239
a composition containing a soluble polymer dissolved
in or an insoluble polymer dispersed in a medium
which is predominantly composed of water, or
mixtures thereof.
The term “predominantly” is not specifically defined in the
specification. One definition of “predominate” is “[t]o be a
greater . . . quantity.” This definition would mean that2
water is present in an amount of at least 50% in the medium, a
fact entirely consistent with the amount of water employed in
the examples at pages 7 through 14 of the specification.
Moreover, according to pages 5 and 6 of the specification, a
gas having the claimed solubility factor includes carbon
dioxide and nitrous oxide.
As found by the examiner (Answer, page 3), the sole prior
art reference, Glancy, describes using carbon dioxide as a
useful compressed gas for a polymer coating composition. See
Glancy, page 21, line 11. Glancy, however, does not teach,
nor would have suggested, using carbon dioxide as a compressed
gas for the claimed “waterborne polymer coating composition.”
Glancy teaches away from using more than 30% of water in the
solvent/diluent in a polymer coating composition. See page 2,
2See page 927 of WEBSTER’S New Riverside University
Dictionary published on 1984 attached herewith.
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