Appeal 2006-1849
Application 10/387,139
Christians discloses an integrated environmental control system
having two air cycle machines (col. 2, ll. 13-21) wherein each air cycle
machine has a compressor, fan and a turbine (col. 3, ll. 62-67, Figure 1).
Christians does not disclose an air cycle machine having a second turbine.
Hipsky discloses a two turbine environmental control system wherein
the conditioned air from a first turbine is fed to a second turbine for
additional cooling (col. 2, l. 64 to col. 3, l. 7). Hipsky further discloses that
his environmental control system “efficiently provide[s] an increased
conditioned air flow” (col. 2, ll. 17-20). Hipsky also discloses that using his
two turbine environmental control system permits the use of a simpler,
cheaper condenser that does not need to be designed to handle icing (col. 2,
ll. 4-15).
Based on these aforenoted disclosures, we conclude that Hipsky’s
disclosure of producing a cheaper and more efficient environmental control
system using the two turbine set-up provides implicit motivation to combine
the second turbine with an air cycle machine in Christians’ integrated
environmental control system in order to “enhance commercial opportunities
by improving a product” (i.e., environmental control systems). Dystar,
464 F.3d at 1368.
Additionally, we agree with the Examiner’s findings that the
combination of Christians with Hipsky would “efficiently provide air at the
desired temperature and humidity” and that universally it is “desirable” to
improve control over the final conditions of the treated air (Answer 4).
We further note that an ordinarily skilled artisan would have
possessed the knowledge and skills to be “capable” of combining Hipsky’s
second turbine with an air cycle machine in Christians’ integrated
8
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Next
Last modified: November 3, 2007