Appeal No. 98-1554 Page 5
Application No. 08/586,894
According to the appellant, the connection lines to heat
accumulators which pass through the insulation chamber between
the exterior and interior walls have been made of plastic in
the prior art, because the heat conductivity of plastic is less
than that of metal (specification, page 1). However, the
appellant continues, plastic lines suffer from problems,
including an inability to withstand mechanical stresses and to
be sealed properly with the metal walls through which they
pass. The appellant’s invention solves these problems by
utilizing for the connection lines a metallic material that has
a low heat-conducting capability, such as “rust- and acid-
resistant chromium-nickel alloy steel,” which can withstand the
stresses and is easily sealed to the walls, while still
considerably reducing heat losses (specification, pages 2 and
5). As manifested in independent claims 16, 40 and 41, the
invention requires, inter alia, that the lines be formed “of a
metal having low heat conducting capability.”
The Rejection On The Basis of Schatz
And Engineering Materials
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