Appeal No. 2004-1043
Application No. 09/960,907
paste requires cooling the electrolyte, which is
accomplished by cooling the liner through the use of a
cooling gas. Therefore, Berclaz teaches controlling the
temperature of the electrolyte through the use of an air
sweep.
On page 25 of Appellant's Brief, Appellant states:
In Applicant's invention, heat is added or
removed through the metal bottom of the
cell. This is not disclosed in Berclaz.
(see page 25 of Appellant's Brief,
beginning in the first paragraph)
Berclaz teaches, “[I]t is possible to adjust the
temperature of the cathode 30 (shell 31 and cathode mass
32) by supplying a heating or cooling gas to the space 52”
(see WO ‘120, page 26, lines 29-32). The shell (31) is a
metal shell that corresponds to the metal liner of
Applicant’s invention (see WO ‘120, p. 24, lines 1-2).
Therefore, Berclaz expressly teaches adding or removing
heat through the metal bottom of the cell.
ii. Suggestion to combine Beck, Weaver and Berclaz
(XII. C, pages 25-26)
Appellant states, "[T]here is no suggestion to combine
Beck, Weaver and Berclaz, that there is no expectation of
success, and all the claim limitations have not been
disclosed in these references" (see Appellant's Brief,
p. 26, second full paragraph).
Beck teaches all of the limitations recited in claims
1, 10, 18 and 27 of the instant invention, except for the
following, a plurality of anodes (claims 1, 10, 18 and 27),
periodically reducing the current flow to the cell (claims
1 and 10), maintaining the electrolyte in a molten
26
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