Appeal No. 95-2153
Application No. 08/171,007
cellulosic fibers and on a process for producing that
solution. Specifically, the examiner refers to Ross'
disclosure of an aqueous solution containing melamine-aldehyde
resin, an acidic catalyst, and hydrogen peroxide. See Ross,
column 2, lines 4 through 23. The examiner acknowledges that
there is a difference between the process disclosed by Ross
and the claimed process, namely, that Ross does not disclose
"pH conditions of between 1.0 and 2.5" recited in the claims
before us. As stated in the Examiner's Answer, page 4, last
paragraph, "the prior art [Ross] does not disclose the pH
[recited in the claims]." Nevertheless, the examiner would
make up that deficiency in Ross by relying on (1) the pH
conditions used in the traditional production of melamine-
formaldehyde resins, described in the specification, paragraph
bridging pages 5 through 7; and (2) the pH conditions
disclosed by Murchison. We disagree with the examiner's
reasoning.
First, melamine-formaldehyde resin is usually made by
dissolving melamine powder in aqueous formaldehyde, and
combining that mixture with a dilute acid solution
(specification, page 5, lines 16 and 17). In the traditional
-3-
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