The opinion in support of the decision being entered today was not
written for publication and is not binding precedent of the Board.
Paper No. 27
UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
_______________
BEFORE THE BOARD OF PATENT APPEALS
AND INTERFERENCES
_______________
Ex parte CHRISTOPHER J. NAGEL,
THOMAS P. GRIFFIN,
THOMAS A. KINNEY and
KEVIN A. SPARKS
______________
Appeal No. 1997-0159
Application 08/172,579
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ON BRIEF
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Before JOHN D. SMITH, OWENS, and SPIEGEL, Administrative Patent Judges.
JOHN D. SMITH, Administrative Patent Judge.
DECISION ON APPEAL
This is an appeal pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 134 from the final rejection of claims 1
through 15, 26 and 27.
Claim 1 is representative and is reproduced below:
1. A method for reforming hydrocarbons into shorter-chain unsaturated organic
compounds, comprising the steps of:
a) providing a molten metal bath, said molten metal bath consisting essentially of an
elemental metal which can cause cleavage of at least one carbon-carbon bond of a
hydrocarbon component of a hydrocarbon-containing feed;
1
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