Appeal No. 1997-3103
Application 08/449,647
this claim and one of the other claims, i.e., claim 3. See In
re Ochiai, 71 F.3d 1565, 1566 n.2, 37 USPQ2d 1127, 1129 n.2
(Fed. Cir. 1995); 37 CFR § 1.192(c)(7)(1995).
Rejection of claims 3 and 13 under
35 U.S.C. § 102(b) as being anticipated by Pigneul
Claim 3
Pigneul discloses an absorbent structure which includes a
macroscopically monoplanar fibrous capillary substrate
defining an X-Y plane and a Z-direction orthogonal thereto
(figure 3, item 51; col. 3, lines 39-43; col. 4, lines 62-65).
The substrate has at least one blind hole aperture (figure 3,
item 52; col. 4, line 66 - col. 5, line 2). A freestanding
site of osmotic absorbent hydrogel polymer is joined to the
substrate in an aperture, extends in the X-Y direction (figure
3, plane perpendicular to the paper), and is capable of
expanding in the Z-direction (figure 3, vertical direction)
without constraint from the substrate upon imbibing liquids.
Thus, Pigneul discloses each element recited in
appellant’s claim 3.
-8-8
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Next
Last modified: November 3, 2007