Ex parte ZISMAN - Page 18




               Appeal No. 97-3640                                                                                                  
               Application No. 08/406,272                                                                                          


                       that the suggested inlet impurity in HP of "less than 10 ppm" amount of CO  meets the                       
                                                                                                    2                              
                       CO  content ranges of claims 7-8 and 20-23, which range from 1 ppm up to at least                           
                           2                                                                                                       
                       10,000 ppm CO  .                                                                                            
                                       2                                                                                           
                              With respect to the ratio of 1-10 grams of soda lime per g of CO  in the fluid,                      
                                                                                                2                                  
                       as in claims 9-10 and 20, note that the suggested 10% loading in HP (i.e. 10 g of CO2                       
                       loaded on 100g soda lime) meets this limitation.  With respect to the narrower ranges of                    
                       2-5 grams soda lime per gram CO  as in claims 9-11 and 21-23, note that it would                            
                                                         2                                                                         
                       have been obvious to use lesser amounts of soda lime in a CO  -removal bed, with the                        
                                                                                      2                                            
                       expected result that CO  would still be substantially removed.  Note that the HP                            
                                               2                                                                                   
                       excerpt contemplates twin beds of soda lime in series, so any breakthrough from a first                     
                       bed could be caught in a second bed, both operating at the suggested loading levels.                        
                              With respect to the temperatures and pressures of claims 16-19 (e.g., 1-50EC                         
                       and 1-1700 psig), note that the HP process suggests ambient (25EC) temperature and                          
                       1200 psig as operable.                                                                                      
                              With respect to the exact quantity of water "added" in claims 13-15, this would                      
                       be amendable to optimization by routine experimentation, as has been held to be                             
                       obvious in In re Aller, et al. 105 USPQ 233 and In re Reni, 164 USPQ 245.  (Ans.                            
                       pages 8-9)                                                                                                  

                       Given the above teachings, we conclude that the determination of optimum values for the weight              

               ratio of CO  impurity to olefin (claim 7); the weight ratio of soda lime to CO  (claims 9); and, the2                                                            2                                    

               process temperature and pressure parameters (claims 16 and 18) would have been obvious to one of                    

               ordinary skill in the art.  We also conclude that the determination of optimum values for the weight ratio          

               of "added" water to olefin (claim 13), would also have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art,            

               especially given the direction in Cheron to maintain the water content of the soda lime substantially               

               constant in the range from 10 to 30% (col. 4, lines 43-49).   In re Boesch, 617 F.2d 272, 276, 205                  

               USPQ 215, 219 (CCPA 1980); In re Aller, 220 F.2d 454, 456, 105 USPQ 233, 235 (CCPA                                  

               1955).                                                                                                              

                                                             Page 18                                                               





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