Appeal No. 1997-1619
Application No. 08/278,154
surface of a preformed article which is porous to gases with an
encapsulation of a liquid material that solidifies into an air-tight,
encapsulating material, and
b. in the same environment of less than atmospheric pressure as in step (a),
solidifying the liquid material to form thereby an air-tight, encapsulated
article;
2. wherein the article comprises at least one chamber enclosed by a solid, air-tight,
encapsulating material, in which
a. the pressure inside of the at least one chamber has a vacuum
characteristic of being less than atmospheric pressure, and
b. the encapsulating material has sufficient strength to maintain the integrity
and vacuum characteristic of the at least one chamber.
C. Claims 7-9 and 42, also on appeal, depend from claim 6.
Prior art cited by the examiner as evidence of obviousness
D. The examiner relies upon Deschamps as the sole reference. Deschamps
teaches:
1. A method for preparing an article of manufacture comprising the steps of
a. in an environment of less than atmospheric pressure, i.e., vacuum
deposition, contacting the surface of a preformed article which is
porous to gases with an encapsulating material (column 3, lines
3
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