Appeal No. 1997-1549
Application No. 08/208,143
would have arrived at the sintering temperature range which
appellants use to obtain the desired mechanical properties.
Also, the cellular structure being sintered by Hakansson
includes layers of inorganic fibers. Such fibers are not
excluded by appellants’ claims, but are not disclosed as being
part of the molded body which has the recited breaking
strength. The examiner has not explained why, even if
Hakansson’s cellular structure containing these fibers were
sintered at 850-1100EC, the resulting product would have a
breaking strength of 10 to 150 N. Furthermore, even if the
applied references were considered to have suggested, to one
of ordinary skill in the art, eliminating these inorganic
fibers and using only the clay as Gloffre’s binder, the
examiner has not explained why such a person would have
considered the same temperature range used by Hakansson when
the fibers are present to also be the temperature range to use
when the fibers are absent.
The examiner argues that if Gloffre’s zeolite were
calcined at Plank’s temperature, the breaking strength would
be the same as that of appellants (answer, page 7). This
argument is not well taken because the examiner has provided
8
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Next
Last modified: November 3, 2007