Appeal No. 1997-1515
Application 08/361,891
(col. 1, lines 26-29). The disclosed process for making the
fluids includes mixing a monomer, initiator, stabilizer and
usually a crosslinker in a continuous phase which can be a
halogenated paraffin, and polymerizing the monomer to form
hydrophobic core particles (col. 4, lines 25-32; col. 5, lines
7-13). A hydrophilic monomer is added to the dispersion and
polymerized to form a hydrophilic polymer shell around the
core particles, and
then a neutralizing agent can be added which changes surface
acid groups to salts and thereby improves the particles’
electrorheological response (col. 8, lines 55-68). A polar
liquid, usually water, then is added to make the surface of
the particles overly wet and sticky to facilitate bridging
under an applied electric force (col. 2, lines 29-36; col. 22,
lines 14-23).
The examiner argues that appellant’s invention is drawn
toward an electrophoretic fluid rather than an
electrorheological fluid as disclosed by Ahmed, but that the
mere statement of a new use of an otherwise old or obvious
composition cannot render a claim to the composition
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