Appeal No. 95-0073
Application 07/896,154
consisting of di-saccharides, trisaccharides and mixtures
thereof; and (2) recovering as the permeate a second dextrose
composition containing a solids content of at least 99% dextrose.
The examiner acknowledges that Zupancic et al. ('953) and
Zupancic ('122) disclose, in relevant part, ultrafiltration but
not nanofiltration. According to the examiner, however, "it
would appear that the terms have the same meaning." The examiner
argues that it is unclear whether "nanofiltering" distinguishes
over the prior art "or recites a concrete limitation;" and that
it makes no difference whether the filtration process is
"designated" nanofiltration or ultrafiltration. See the
Examiner's Answer, page 7, first full paragraph, and page 12,
first paragraph. We disagree. For reasons already spelled out
in this opinion, we find that "nanofiltration" is an art-
recognized term understood by persons skilled in the art.
Appellants' usage in the specification and claims is consistent
with the art-recognized meaning of "nanofiltration" in the
scientific literature, and serves to distinguish over related
membrane separation processes such as ultrafiltration.
Zupancic et al. ('953) and Zupancic ('122) disclose many
working examples, illustrating the preparation of dextrose
compositions having a solids content far less than 99% dextrose.
Zupancic et al. ('953), however, discloses one example which we
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