Appeal No. 1996-2077
Application 08/271,922
specification, the appellants’ main Brief (Paper No. 12) and Reply Brief (Paper No. 14) as
well as the examiner’s Answer (Paper No. 13) and Supplemental Answer (Paper
No. 15), and we find ourselves in substantial agreement with the appellants’ position.
Accordingly, we reverse both rejections.
Discussion
The present invention is directed to monolithic catalytic converters and their use for
destroying ozone and other atmospheric pollutants, as well as a method of preparing an
anodized catalytic layer on the surface of an aluminum or an aluminum alloy. The catalytic
converters are said to be lightweight, compact devices useful in reducing or eliminating
ozone in the air supplied to aircraft cabins. Specification, p. 3.
The examiner has premised his conclusion of obviousness primarily on the
teachings of Carr and Cornelison in conjunction with either one of Yamada, Honicke or
Moskovits. According to the examiner, Carr discloses “an aluminum carrier or support
having a plurality of flow-through channels oriented in the general direction of gas flow, at
least one platinum group metal including platinum, palladium, rhodium ... and at least one
nonprecious group VIII metal oxide or aluminate, such as an oxide or aluminate of iron,
cobalt or nickel forming a thin deposit on the support... .” Answer, p. 4. The examiner
argues that “The apparatus and method of Carr et al[.] are substantially the same as the
instantly claimed,” but he acknowledges that neither the anodized surface layer of the
aluminum support, nor the specific structure of the support are disclosed. Id.
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