Appeal No. 1996-1960
Application No. 07/975,167
enzymes (col. 1, lines 49-64) so that in the absence of "-amylase no color change will occur in the
substrate (Fig. 3; col. 2, lines 17-20). Suitable blocking groups include carboxylic acid esters, e.g.,
acetyl or benzoyl radicals (col. 4, lines 9-12).
Rauscher also describes bonding blocking groups (i.e., R and R , each independently a straight-
1
chained or branched alkyl or alkoyl radical containing up to 6 C atoms or a phenyl radical or together
forming a methylene bridge, the H atoms of which can be substituted by an alkyl radical containing up
to 5 C atoms or a phenyl radical) on the 4- and 6-hydroxy groups of the terminal glucose unit of a
nitrophenyloligoglucoside (col. 1, lines 41-61) to provide an "-amylase substrate which is storage-
stable in the presence of "-glucosidase (col. 1, lines 37-39).
According to the examiner,
[i]t would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time
the invention was made to block the terminal glucose units of the compounds of
McCroskey with a fatty acid ester because such a group would be expected to prevent
glucosidase activity (Blair or Rauscher et al.) until such time as its removal by lipase
(Kasahara) and under the conditions normally employed in such assays a measure of
lipase activity would be obtained. [Answer, page 6, last para.]
However, McCroskey discloses p-nitrophenyl-"/ß-glucoside and p-nitrophenyl-"/ß-maltoside as
substrates for determining "/ß-glucosidase activity. Blocking the terminal glucose units of these
substrates with any blocking group “to prevent glucosidase activity” would destroy the very purpose for
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