Appeal No. 2001-1210 Page 6
Application No. 09/255,990
containing water (in which the particles are soluble) extends parallel to the roller and
receives the particles stripped from the roller by a doctor blade. The removed
particles are directed from the blade to the trough by a guide surface continuous with
the blade which is presented by a specially shaped sheet member extending from the
blade into the trough. The water may be recirculated by a pump, or supplied and
drained at a rate to prevent the particles from accumulating.
In the rejection of claim 1 before us in this appeal, the examiner determined (final
rejection, p. 3) that "[i]n view of the teachings of Grindley et al, it would have been
obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have used the methods taught by Wood in a
sheet-fed perfecting press process as well."
The appellants argue (brief, pp. 16-17) that Wood and Grindley do not suggest the
subject matter of claim 1 since (1) Wood discloses a cleaning method for a web of paper
which would not be practical with sheets of paper; (2) Grindley only cleans one side of a
paper sheet after one side has been printed; and (3) Wood and Grindley have different
modes of operation thus it would not be possible to combine Wood and Grindley.
In applying the above-noted test for obviousness, we reach the same conclusion
as the examiner. That is, in view of the combined teachings of Wood and Grindley, it
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