Appeal No. 1998-0240
Application 08/522,479
Remand for Further Consideration of Pike’s Examples
As discussed above, appellant's invention relates to a helically crimped multicomponent
conjugate fiber comprising a first thermoplastic polymer and a second thermoplastic polymer having
different solidification periods. A nucleating agent is present in the polymer having the shorter
solidification period or may be present in both polymers. (Specification, page 2, line 31 to page 3, line
10 and page 6, lines 14-19). Mineral particles, such as talc, fumed alumina and fumed silica are
described as suitable nucleating agents for the polymers. (Specification, page 6, line 24 to page 7, line
1).
Pike describes a process for making nonwoven fabric made with multicomponent filaments
having a helical crimp. (Abstract and col. 1, lines 6-9). One method of obtaining the crimp is to select
a first and second component where the first component has a melting point less than the melting point
of the second component. (Col. 4, lines 15-19 and col. 6, lines 28-41). The first component
preferably comprises polypropylene or a random copolymer of propylene and ethylene and the second
component preferably includes polyethylene. (Col. 4, lines 19-23 and col. 6, lines 42-46). In all of the
examples of Pike, examples 1-22, Pike exemplifies a multicomponent fiber systems where the first fiber
contains 98% polypropylene and 2% TiO (titanium dioxide) concentrate and the second fiber contains
2
98% polyethylene and 2% TiO concentrate. (Pike, examples 1-22). The TiO concentrate is a2 2
mixture of 50% by weight TiO and 50% by weight polypropylene. (Col. 11, lines 26-28).
2
10
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