Appeal No. 95-0140
Application 08/002,528
(a) a fluidized-bed vessel;
(b) means for spraying a granule-forming liquid into
said vessel, said means disposed at the bottom of said
vessel;
(c) a fluidizing means for dispersing the liquid and
any particles in said vessel;
(d) a means for returning to a bottom end of said
vessel adjacent to and above the spraying means fine
granules that escape from adjacent the top of said vessel;
and
(e) at least one countercurrent gravity classifier at
an outflow bottom of said vessel.
The references relied on by the examiner are:
Kono et al. (Kono) 4,217,127 Aug. 12, 1980
Ube (Great Britain) 1,142,046 Feb. 05, 1969
Rothele et al. (Rothele) 0 037 066 Oct. 07, 1981
(European publication)2
The appellants’ admission of prior art as set forth in lines
26-31 of page 1 of the specification (the admitted prior art).
Claims 17, 18, 20, 22 and 24 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C.
§ 103 as being unpatentable over Kono in view of Ube and the
admitted prior art, either alone or further in view of Rothele.
The examiner’s rejection is explained on pages 3 and 4 of
the final rejection. The arguments of the appellants and the
examiner in support of their respective positions are set forth
2 Translation attached.
3
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