Appeal 2006-2404
Application 10/884,619
spherical balls having internal ribs (Br. 2).1 Claims 1 and 7 are illustrative
of the invention and are reproduced below:
1. A method of removing MTBE from an aqueous solution
comprising providing a counter-current air stripper in the form of a
substantially cylindrical column, said substantially cylindrical column
having a top and a bottom, a substantially circular cross section, longitudinal
axis, inlet for said aqueous solution proximate said top and inlet for air
proximate said bottom such that said aqueous solution is caused to
gravitationally fall within said column and said air is caused to rise within
said column counter-current thereto, said column being at least partially
packed with open spherical balls having internal ribs.
7. A method of removing MTBE from an aqueous solution
comprising providing a counter-current air stripper in the form of a
substantially cylindrical packed column, said substantially cylindrical
column having a top and a bottom, a substantially circular cross section,
longitudinal axis, inlet for said aqueous solution containing MTBE
proximate said top and inlet for air proximate said bottom such that said
aqueous solution is caused to gravitationally fall within said column and said
air is caused to rise within said column counter-current thereto, said column
being operated at approximately 100-200 millibars of pressure resulting in
substantial removal of MTBE from said aqueous solution.
The Examiner, in addition to Appellant’s admitted prior art (AAPA),
has relied upon Wasinger, U.S. 6,197,206, issued Mar. 6, 2001, as evidence
of obviousness.
Claims 1-7 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 112, second paragraph,
“as failing to set forth the subject matter which applicant(s) regard as their
invention” (Answer 2). Claims 1-7 also stand rejected under 35 U.S.C.
1 We refer to and cite from the amended Appeal Brief dated Mar. 3, 2006.
This Brief does not number the pages. Therefore, we refer to the pages as
numbered from the first page containing the “Real Party in Interest.”
2
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