Appeal No. 1996-3306
Application No. 08/145,380
And finally, in yet another place (column 6, line 30), as the examiner emphasizes
(examiner's answer, p. 3), Anzini discloses that when melt index is the rheological
parameter to be "matched," "it is preferred that the melt index values for the various blend
constituents be brought to within about 0.5 grams/10 minutes of each other."
At first blush, it would appear, as examiner states in the examiner's answer (p. 3), that
"[t]his preferred variance coincides with the variance of the separate components claimed
by Appellants with respect to melt index." Actually, the preferred melt index variance
described by Anzini refers to the melt index variance resulting from the "matching" step
(see column 5, lines 18-21). What the melt index variance of the separate components is
before the components are processed is unclear and examiner has not explained how a
final melt index variance would suggest a similar variance between the components before
processing. We note that there is no similar disclosure for density. Examiner
acknowledges this (examiner's answer, p. 3) but considers it "extremely common as
utilized (like melt index) as a rheological parameter". How its conventionality as a
rheological property would suggest the claimed variance in densities is not explained
however.
What is clear therefore is that Anzini discloses a method for blending polyethylenes
of a wide range of melt indices and densities, any one of which could be contacted with a
free radical generator. The number possible candidates and processing combinations is
enormous. There is nothing in this reference however which would lead one to select the
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