Appeal No. 1996-2566
Application No. 08/107,656
Further, the specification indicates at page 3, line 25
to page 4, line 3 that
[T]he Al(OH) Cl (SO ) formed as the basic
x y 4 z
aluminum chloride dissolved in aqueous
sulfuric acid is present not only as
monomers but also as oligomers but the
desired degree of polymerization is not
achieved until the heat treatment (emphasis
added).
The examiner argues that based on the originally filed
disclosures in appellants’ specification, the claimed heat
treatment step g is described only as a separate step which
takes place only subsequent to the feeding(dissolution) step
f, not a step which can take place during the feeding step.
On the other hand, appellants argue that the claim language
“not prior to said feeding step” is intended to cover the
embodiments of heat treating “during and/or after the feeding
step.” See the brief at page 12. To support their argument,
appellants assert that one of ordinary skill in the art would
understand that heat is liberated during the step of feeding
the basic aluminum chloride into the sulfuric acid solution
(because of the neutralization reaction). Thus, according to
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