Appeal No. 2002-0741
Application No. 08/935,348
claims 1, 2, 4-6 and 8-12 are not entitled to the filing date of
the earlier filed ‘858 application. Hence, Zacharias PCT ‘238 is
available as prior art under 35 U.S.C. § 102(b) against these
claims.
Zacharias PCT ‘238 discloses a sanitary napkin article
provided with a hot melt, pressure sensitive adhesive on the
body-facing surface for securement of the article to the wearer
(page 4, lines 6-11). The adhesive has a rheological property
that allows for secure adherence to the wearer’s skin, yet
releases cleanly with minimum discomfort. Zacharias PCT ‘238
does not expressly set forth that the adhesive thereof meets the
claim limitations of paragraph (c) of claim 1, or of claim 2.
Paul pertains to hot melt, pressure sensitive adhesives
“which adhere well to the human skin and hair, and are therefore
useful for a variety of medical and other products” (column 1,
lines 8-10). The adhesives of Paul are characterized by the
properties called for in appealed claim 1 (paragraph (c)) and
appealed claim 2. See, for example, column 1, line 54, through
column 2, line 6, of Paul. As explained by Paul in the
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