Appeal No. 97-0139
Application No. 08/196,819
contact between the polymeric matrix and the glass fibers.
According to appellants' specification, generally at pages 9
and 10, the PEG wet-out test measures the rate of wettability
of the glass fibers wherein higher numbers indicate rapid wet-
out and lower numbers reflect slow wet-out. The claimed PEG
wet-out values are said to indicate "more controlled wet-out
speed" which enables the fibers to be used to optimally
produce fiber reinforced panels when the panels are produced
using non-linear conveyor equipment. See the supplemental
reply brief at page 2.
As evidence of obviousness of the claimed invention, the
examiner relies on the combined disclosures of Sanzero, Wong,
and Temple. Sanzero, according to the examiner, discloses
glass fibers having a dried residue formed from "a treating
composition essentially of the sort" covered by the appealed
claims which includes, inter alia, a bisphenol A polyester
resin and an epoxidized polyvinylacetate copolymer film
forming component. Recognizing that appealed claim 1 requires
the presence of either a homopolymer of polyvinylacetate or an
organosilane copolymer of polyvinylacetate, rather than an
epoxidized polyvinylacetate copolymer as described in Sanzero,
4
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