Appeal No. 96-1225
Application 08/107,696
sonic energy preferably is shifted back and forth over the
range of 20-80 kilohertz (page 22, lines 4-6). That is, the
fluid circulation velocity is varied. The use of ultrasonic
energy is effective for enhancing the removal of organic
contaminants from the workpieces (page 22, lines 6-9).
For the above reasons, the process recited in appellant’s
claim 1 is anticipated by JP ‘189.
Claim 3, 6, 18 and 22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103
as being unpatentable over JP ‘189.
JP ‘189 does not disclose a specific embodiment in which
the fluid is carbon dioxide and the cleaning is enhanced by
use of ultrasonic energy. However, the disclosures that
carbon dioxide is a preferred dense phase gas (page 6, lines
32-34), that supercritical carbon dioxide is effective for
removing organic contaminants from workpieces (page 20, lines
22-23), and that use of ultrasonic energy enhances the removal
of organic contaminants (page 22, lines 6-9), would have
fairly suggested, to one of ordinary skill in the art, use of
supercritical carbon dioxide and ultrasonic energy in
combination to obtain enhanced removal of organic
contaminants. Consequently, the processes recited in
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