Appeal No. 96-3486
Application No. 08/291,565
refractory oxides listed in appellants’ claims; ultrafine
boehmite, pseudo-boehmite and/or amorphous alumina are
employed instead. To overcome this inconsistency,
Koberstein is relied upon.
Koberstein teaches atomizing a refractory oxide of
the type claimed, albeit with a cerium salt only.
Koberstein prepares a catalyst by spray-drying an aqueous
suspension of an aluminum oxide, such as boehmite or [.Delta]-
alumina, and a cerium compound, and coating a substrate.
Though not a part of the suspension, the support can be
doped with iron oxide.
The examiner concludes that
it would have been obvious at the time
the invention was made . . . to follow
the combined teachings of Brunelle and
Koberstein and obtain the atomized
particles (powders) containing alumina-
ceria-ferric oxide by adding soluble Ce
and Fe components to an alumina suspension,
followed by spray-drying, as taught by both
references, and coat an inert ceramic or
metallic substrate or structure with the
powder, followed by calcination and
impregnation with noble metals and
activation of the catalyst. (Final
Rejection, page 7).
Declaration under 37 CFR § 1.132
9
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