Appeal No. 2001-2525 Page 2
Application No. 09/000,579
composition. An understanding of the invention can be derived
from a reading of exemplary claim 1, which is reproduced below.
1. A process for recovering aromatic compounds from a
mixed hydrocarbon feedstock containing aromatic compounds
and non-aromatic compounds of from between 5 and 12 carbons,
comprising:
providing a first portion of the mixed hydrocarbon
feedstock having a given composition to a liquid-liquid
extractor;
providing a second portion of the mixed hydrocarbon
feedstock having the same composition as said first portion
to an extractive distillation column; and
recovering aromatic compounds from the first portion of
the mixed hydrocarbon feedstock and from the second portion
of the mixed hydrocarbon feedstock via parallel operation of
the liquid-liquid extractor and the extractive distillation
column.
The prior art references of record relied upon by the
examiner in rejecting the appealed claims are:
Vickers et al. (Vickers) 3,844,902 Oct. 29, 1974
Eisenlohr et al. (Eisenlohr) 3,862,254 Jan. 21, 1975
Claims 1-3, 5, 7-16 and 55 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C.
§ 103(a) as being unpatentable over Eisenlohr. Claims 4, 6, 22
and 23 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a) as being
unpatentable over Eisenlohr in view of Vickers.
We refer to appellants’ brief and to the examiner's answer
for an exposition of the respective viewpoints expressed by
appellants and the examiner concerning the rejections.
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