Appeal 2006-2523
Application 10/206,496
Appellants reply that the claimed “LPP” process for coating metal
particles can not be equated to the “sol-gel” process for coating metal oxide
particles of Adachi (Reply Br. 49-50 and 52). In this respect, Appellants
maintain the use of alcohols having eight to ten carbon atoms as taught by
Adachi will result in a precipitate in solution as disclosed in the
Specification (id. 52).
We cannot agree with Appellants’ contentions with respect to the
description of prior art processes in the Background of the Invention. We
find this description makes clear the liquid phase polymerization (LPP)
processes involve “sol-gel” solutions in which the formation of a gel in
solution is controlled by the amount of alcohol in solution (Specification,
[0002]-[0004]; see above pp. 8-10). We further find an LPP process
involves suspension of any metal substrate particles in any “alcohol-based
solution” as exemplified by ethanol as “the primary solvent” or “primary
constituent” and not as the only alcohol used in such solution (Specification
[0003] and [0007]; see above pp. 8-9 and 13-14). The description further
shows the polymerization temperature depends on the boiling point of the
various constituents in the solution, such as ethanol where it is the “primary
constituent,” and the “polymerization reaction cannot be run at or above the
boiling point of the solution” (Specification [0007]). We find no limitation
on the type of metal substrate particles or the surface characteristic of such
particles which are coated with the metal oxide film by the prior art
processes.
We find Adachi would have disclosed to one of ordinary skill in this
art “sol-gel” methods for coating a metal oxide particle with a metal oxide
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