Appeal No. 95-4669
Application 08/044,674
antimicrobial metal in an appropriate solvent for the resin. . . . The
coating can be applied to a medical device by dipping in the mixture of
resin, solvent and physiological, antimicrobial metal compound and
thereafter allowing the solvent to evaporate. . . . Alternatively, the
medical articles may be sprayed with the mixture and the solvent allowed
to evaporate.
In addition, Laurin states that “a quantity of physiological, antimicrobial metal
compound may be mixed with a resin for direct molding of an article” (page 4).
On page 4, the Laurin reference lists a number of suitable resins and
physiological, antimicrobial metal compounds usable in formulating the mixture. The
listed resins include polyurethane, which is one of the polymers indicated by appellant
as being suitable for use in the present invention, and the listed metal compounds
include silver chloride, which is the silver salt preferred by appellant in making his anti-
infective medical article. Laurin is silent as to the water absorption properties of the
resin used in making the coating.
2
Hoffman, the examiner’s secondary reference, pertains to applications of
synthetic polymers in medicine. Hoffman states that “[w]ater sorption in biomaterials is
very important to the functioning of some polymers, such as hydrogels in soft contact
lenses” (page 15). On page 17, Hoffman lists the properties of several solid polymers,
including soft (rubbery) polymers. Such soft polymers may have “low” water sorption or
2In the answer, the examiner refers to Hoffman as Gebelein or Gebelein
(Hoffman).
3
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