Appeal No. 1997-2072
Application No. 08/261,544
specification. The process involves conventional reaction
injection molding steps, with the improvement being in the
reaction mixture employed. See Jepson claim 1. The reaction
mixture comprises specific polymethylene poly(phenyl
isocyanates), polyether polyol, hydroxyl functional organic
material, active hydrogen containing compound and hindered
amines. Id. The amount of specific hindered amines employed
is about 20% to about 40% by weight based on the total weight
of the specific polyether polyol, hydroxyl functional organic
material and active hydrogen containing compounds. Id.
According to page 8 of the specification, “[t]he key to the
present invention resides in using the hindered amine.”
The dispositive question is therefore whether the applied
prior art references as a whole would have suggested to one of
ordinary skill in the art to employ the claimed reaction
mixture in a conventional reaction injection molding (SRIM)
process. We answer this question in the negative.
The closest prior art references, Rains and Nodelman,
relied upon by the examiner as evidence of obviousness are
directed to employing novel reaction mixtures in a
conventional urethane structure reaction injection molding
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