Appeal No. 1996-3496
Application No. 08/167,288
externally heated tube which is part of the rotary kiln. See
Specification, pages 1-3. The carrier particles are effective
in conveying the powder precursor through the long externally
heated tube of the rotary kiln without causing the powder
precursor to adhere to the inside wall of the tube. Id.
Manifestly, appellants’ purpose in the specification is to
limit the application of the claimed process to those rotary
kilns having a long externally heated tube. Moreover, we
limit the meaning of “carrier particles of an inert material”
in the claims in accordance with appellants’ intent in the
written description at page 3 of the specification, which
states in relevant part:
It is found that the powder particles become
coated on the larger carrier particles and are
carried along with them as they move through the
furnace. At the end of the firing they can be
readily removed by washing, shaking or by air
blowing the carrier particles.
The carrier particles are inert in the sense
that they do not react with the powder particles
that they are transporting. It is also
desirable that they retain their dimensional and
compositional integrity during passage through
the rotary kiln and the separation of the fired
powder. Most preferably the carrier particles
have the same composition as the powder after
firing is complete but this is not essential.
Thus, for example, transitional aluminas are
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