Appeal No. 1996-3195 Page 7
Application No. 08/228,086
overlapping relationship. Pounder does not teach joining
folded back edges as claimed. According to the examiner, it
would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to
fold the composite fabrics as claimed so that the polyurethane
layers may contact each other (answer, page 5). However, the
examiner has not pointed to any prior art teaching or
convincing line of reasoning to substantiate this proposition.
In this regard, even with regard to claim 15, we note that
Pounder clearly teaches a seam for joining separate sheets
that does not involve folding and which differs from that
claimed herein. Accordingly, even if we agreed that the
teachings of Kerr and Pounder are combinable as urged by the
examiner, the examiner has not adequately explained where the
motivation or suggestion for modifying Kerr's fabric structure
or method of coating a fabric substrate to employ an
ultrasonic weld to folded back edges of polyurethane coated
polyester fabric sheet(s) is found in the combined applied
references' teachings.
Likewise, the examiner has not explained how the combined
references' teachings would have suggested the specific
positioning of a polyester fabric, thermoplastic polyurethane
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