Appeal No. 2000-0570
Application No. 09/028,943
The invention relates to "floor mats wherein an
antimicrobial agent has been incorporated into at least one of
either the pile surface or backing and is preferably present
in both" (specification, page 1). Claim 1 is illustrative and
reads as follows:
1. A launderable dust control mat having antimicrobial
properties, the mat comprising: a pile fiber upper surface
and a polymer backing surface disposed beneath said pile fiber
upper surface, wherein said pile fiber upper surface comprises
a plurality of tufts formed from solution dyed nylon yarns
incorporating a metal based antimicrobial agent disposed
throughout all portions of said yarns and said backing surface
includes a metal based antimicrobial agent encapsulated
therein, such that both said pile fiber upper surface and said
polymer backing surface contribute to the antimicrobial
properties of said mat.
THE PRIOR ART
The references relied upon by the examiner as evidence of
obviousness are:
Wilson 4,679,859 Jul. 14, 1987
Osborn et al. (Osborn) 4,701,518 Oct. 20, 1987
Nagahama et al. (Nagahama) 5,305,565 Apr. 26, 1994
THE REJECTIONS
Claims 1 and 5 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a) as
being unpatentable over Wilson in view of Osborn.
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