Appeal No. 95-3985
Application No. 08/016,644
at the time the invention was made to crosslink the
fluoroelastomers employed as, “[O]ne would have been motivated
by a reasonable expectation of success because of the
homologous nature of the fluoroelastomers taught by each
reference,” Final Office Action, Paper No. 9, page 3, lines 3-
5. We disagree with the examiner’s contention, that
fluorocarbon copolymers in general, could be expected to
crosslink upon irradiation because of their homologous nature.
In contrast to the examiner’s statement, Bowers
distinctly teaches that fluoropolymers do not act in a
homologous manner. Bowers discloses in column 1, lines 32-38,
that fluoro-carbons are known to degrade when subjected to
high energy ionizing radiation.
In fact, Bowers discloses that only a limited class of
fluorocarbon copolymers prepared from tetrafluoroethylene and
fluoroolefins defined by the structure CF =CXC F Y and the
2 n 2n
cyclic perfluoroolefins taught in column 2, lines 3-5, become
crosslinked when subjected to ionizing radiation, column 2,
lines 1-21. The uniqueness of this class of fluorocarbon
polymers is seen in contrast to other fluoropolymers which may
either degrade or become crosslinked upon irradiation, Bowers,
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