Appeal No. 95-4216
Application 08/035,076
before drying contains all three components - the
oxychlorination component, the bare support (not all of the
support surface is impregnated with limited amount of the
copper chloride solution), and the copper chloride solution
itself adhering to the support surface” (answer, page 5). The
examiner apparently is of the view that as Cowfer’s cupric
chloride solution is slowly sprayed onto the support, some of
the cupric chloride solution which has contacted the support
impregnates some of the support particles, although Cowfer
does not mention such impregnation, and the impregnated
support is an oxychlorination catalyst. Even if such
impregnation takes place, the examiner’s argument is deficient
in that the examiner has not established that such impregnated
support particles, before drying and calcining, can function
as an oxychlorination catalyst. Cowfer indicates that an
oxychlorination catalyst is not formed until after drying and
calcining such that a solid catalyst is produced (col. 1,
lines 30-34; col. 2, lines 15-18). At this point, no cupric
chloride solution, which must be present to meet the
requirements of appellants’ claims, is present.
For the above reasons, we find that the examiner has not
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