Appeal 2007-3844
Application 10/832,881
In order to further accelerate the mixing, a lateral
projection in the form of a small lip 6 (see Fig. 3a) or beading 7
(see Fig. 3b) may be provided on the downstream edge of the
boundary wall so as to extend into the flow path of one of the
fluid streams, thereby setting up a vortex trail or small degree
of turbulence immediately beyond said downstream edge.
Lloyd, col. 3, ll. 11-18.
The Examiner acknowledges that Fleischli does not disclose or
suggest geometrically modified areas in a surface or edge of each primary
flow obstacle (vanes) in the static mixing device of Fleischli (Answer 4 and
5), as required by the appealed claims. In the second stated rejection, the
Examiner acknowledges that Seah does not disclose or suggest
geometrically modified areas in a surface or edge of each packing element
12, 14, 16, 18, and 20 (packing elements asserted as being primary flow
obstacles by the Examiner) in the exchange device of Seah (Answer 8 and 9)
as required by the appealed claims.
In each rejection, the Examiner notes that Lloyd provides a fluid
mixing apparatus wherein a lip 6 or a rib 7 is employed at an edge of a cone
surface to accelerate mixing (Answer 5, 6, 9, and 10). According to the
Examiner, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at
the time of the invention to add a lip or bead/rib to the edge surface of a
primary flow obstacle surface in Fleischli or Seah to “further accelerate the
mixing” via additional turbulence at the edges of Fleischli’s primary vane
surface or to enhance mixing in Seah (Answer 7 and 10).
However, it is apparent from a review of Lloyd that the lip 6 or
beading 7 of Lloyd is an addition to a boundary wall edge of a co-current
flow fluid mixing device of Lloyd that provides for fluid flow on opposite
sides of a boundary wall and which lip or rib allows for “setting up a vortex
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