Appeal No. 1996-3195 Page 4
Application No. 08/228,086
27. An autoclavable fabric that is impervious to liquids,
the fabric comprising:
a sheet of polyester fabric;
a layer of thermoplastic polyurethane; and
a layer of thermosetting polyurethane, the
thermosetting polyurethane layer being substantially less
tacky than the thermoplastic polyurethane layer when
autoclaved, the thermoplastic polyurethane layer being
positioned between the fabric and the thermosetting
polyurethane layer, thereby encapsulating the thermoplastic
polyurethane layer and preventing the thermoplastic
polyurethane layer from sticking to itself during autoclaving.
The prior art references of record relied upon by the
examiner in rejecting the appealed claims are:
Pounder et al. (Pounder) 3,483,073 Dec.
09, 1969
Kerr et al. (Kerr) 5,298,303 Mar. 29,
1994
Claims 1-27 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being
unpatentable over Kerr in view of Pounder.
OPINION
Upon careful consideration of the opposing arguments
presented on appeal, we concur with appellants that the
applied prior art fails to establish a prima facie case of
obviousness of the claimed subject matter. Accordingly, we
will not sustain the examiner's rejection.
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