Appeal No. 1996-3674 Application No. 08/451,826 Here, the specification makes clear that appellants’ invention is directed to “an improvement in ... [zeolite catalysts useful for the production of methylamines] whereby they are blended with one or more microparticulate binders during formation, which renders the catalyst particles attrition resistant and therefore suitable for use in fluidized bed reactor processes” (page 1, lines 13-17). Moreover, “for a catalyst to be considered attrition resistant, the attrition ratio (AR) should be less than or equal to2 about 3" (specification, page 15, lines 12-14). Thus, in this case, the words “attrition resistant,” as specifically defined in the specification, are essential to point out the invention defined by the claims, i.e., they breathe life and meaning to the claims. Therefore, in this case, the preamble does limit the scope of the claims to a process for producing a defined “attrition resistant” catalyst composition. Thus, it follows that the examiner has failed to address all of the claim limitations. In short, the examiner has not pointed out and we do not find where Bergna, Abrams, Beck or THE CONDENSED CHEMICAL DICTIONARY disclose or suggest a process of producing a catalyst having an attrition ratio less than 2As set forth in the paragraph bridging pages 14-15 of the specification, Attrition measurements are performed using an attrition mill which simulates particle attrition near the gas spargers of a fluidized bed. A catalyst charge is loaded into a column fitted with a single 0.016" perforation. Air flows through the perforation, fluidizes the catalyst bed, and causes attrition. For most measurements, the constant air flow through the mill is calibrated to yield a linear velocity of 760 ft/s through the orifice; this compares to a typical velocity of 150 ft/s in a commercial fuel spargers. The attrition mill measurement accelerates attrition by a factor of roughly thirty. A 24 hour attrition measurement is a reliable indicator of attrition in a commercial reactor. Attrited fines (i.e., those particles lower than 20 micrometers in diameter) are collected in an overhead flask which is fitted with a porous thimble. Flask weight, recorded as a function of time, is used to calculate attrition. The determination of attrition is calculated as an attrition ratio, AR: catalyst attrition divided by the attrition rate of a fluid cracking catalyst standard (FCC). The FCC standard is supplied by Davison Chemical, Baltimore Maryland (SMR-5-5209-0293). - 8 -Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 NextLast modified: November 3, 2007