Appeal No. 96-0928
Application 08/310,971
Furthermore, the hydrogel impregnated in Cartmell’s
absorbent layer 18 will not absorb wound exudate upon contact
with a wound because of the presence of Cartmell’s additional
hydrogel layer 22 which lies between the impregnated absorbent
layer 18 and the wound site. Thus, claims 1, 10 and 19 further
distinguish over Cartmell by reciting that the hydrogel
impregnated in the absorbent layer absorbs wound exudate upon
contact with the wound.
For the foregoing reasons, we cannot agree that Cartmell is
a proper anticipatory reference for the subject matter of claims
1 through 5, 7 through 14, 16, 17 and 19. We must therefore
reverse the § 102(b) rejection of these claims based on the
Cartmell patent.
We also must reverse the § 103 rejection of claims 1 through
5, 7 through 14, 16, 17 and 19 based on the combined teachings of
Cartmell and Perrault inasmuch as Perrault does not rectify the
foregoing deficiencies of Cartmell. The Perrault reference
discloses a visual indicator for detecting a state of dehydration
of a hydrogel composition.
Thus, while Perrault may contemplate the unintentional
tendency of hydrogel to dehydrate under certain conditions during
storage, it is clear from the Perrault disclosure that the
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