Appeal No. 1997-2446
Application 08/223,351
sulfites as chain transfer agents for forming low molecular weight
polymers is well known (answer, page 3), and appellants have raised
no challenge to the examiner's finding. Indeed, Holy discloses that
sulfites are commonly used chain transfer agents for achieving low
molecular weight polymers. See column 1, line 66, to column 2, line
12, of Holy. Moreover, notwith- standing their known drawbacks, Holy
teaches that, if desired, such chain transfer agents may be used in
conjunction with Holy's "high temperature" polymerization process for
producing low
molecular weight copolymers. See column 6, lines 48 through 57, of
Holy. In a similar manner, SE discloses that "regulators" (i.e.,
chain transfer agents) may be used in the polymerization
process conducted at temperatures from 20° to 200°C and at a pH
range of from 2 to 9. See SE, column 6, lines 15 and 16; column 7,
lines 16 through 18; and column 8, lines 7 through 31.
In light of these disclosures, we agree with the examiner
that it would have been prima facie obvious to a person of ordinary
skill in this art to have used a sulfite chain transfer agent as a
further means of controlling and producing the desired low molecular
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