Appeal No. 2002-1864
Application No. 09/206,208
an olefin-containing feedstock by using a pretreated MFI
crystalline catalyst under particular cracking conditions (Brief,
pages 2-3). Illustrative independent claim 1 is reproduced below:
1. A process for the catalytic cracking of an olefin-
containing feedstock which is selective toward light olefins
in the effluent, the process comprising contacting a hydrocarbon
feedstock containing at least one olefin with a MFI crystalline
silicate catalyst having a silicon/aluminum atomic ratio from 180
to 1000, which has been obtained by pretreating so as to increase
the silicon/aluminum atomic ratio thereof by heating the catalyst
in steam to reduce tetrahedral aluminum in the crystalline silicate
framework to form alumina and de-aluminating the catalyst by
treating the catalyst with a complexing agent for aluminum to
remove aluminum from the pores of said crystalline silicate at an
inlet temperature of from 500 to 600/C and at an olefin partial
pressure of from 0:1 to 2 bars to produce an effluent with an
olefin content of lower molecular weight than that of the
feedstock.
The examiner has relied upon the following references as
evidence of obviousness:
Eberly, Jr., et al. (Eberly) 3,506,400 Apr. 14, 1970
Colombo et al. (EP ‘060) 0 109 060 May 23, 1984
(published European Patent Application)
The claims on appeal stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a)
as unpatentable over EP ‘060 in view of Eberly (Answer, page 3).
The claims on appeal also stand provisionally rejected under the
judicial created doctrine of obviousness-type double patenting over
(1) claims 1, 2, 5-10, 12, 13 and 15 of copending application
2
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