Appeal No. 96-3412
Application No. 08/293,577
This is an appeal from the final rejection of claims 15-
26, all the claims remaining in the present application. A
copy of illustrative claim 15 is appended to this decision.
The examiner relies upon the following references as
evidence of obviousness:
Abolins et al. (Abolins) 4,504,613 Mar. 12, 1985
Meyer et al. (Meyer) 5,162,406 Nov. 10, 1992
Appellants' claimed invention is directed to a process
for preparing hydrolysis-stable trivalent phosphorous
compounds of the recited formula. Trivalent phosphorous
containing compounds of the type claimed were known in the art
as stabilizers for thermoplastic materials but, according to
appellants, "they break down under conditions as mild as
normal atmospheric humidity by hydrolysis" (page 2 of Brief).
Accordingly, appellants treat the trivalent phosphorous
compounds with an oxide, hydroxide, carbonate, bicarbonate or
a carboxylate of a metal of groups 1a, 2a, 2b, and 7b of the
periodic table.
Appealed claims 15-26 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C.
§ 103 as being unpatentable over Meyer in view of Abolins.
We have thoroughly reviewed the respective positions
advanced by appellants and the examiner. In so doing, we find
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