Appeal No. 1997-3383
Application No. 08/310,052
separating and removing organic contaminants (such as organic
diisocyantes) as water-soluble solids from air, wherein the
organic-contaminant-containing air "is taken up from the
immediate environment of a polyurethane foam processing line"
(appealed claim 1, lines 2 through 4 and appealed claim 8,
lines 2 through 4). According to appellants' specification at
page 6, line 20 to page 7, line 6, a foam processing line can
"either be a line where the polyurethane foam is initially
manufactured or where the finished polyurethane foam is
subsequently treated, for example laminated by heat treatment
to textile." The limiting "polyurethane foam processing line"
claim language supports appellants' argument that the present
invention "relates to the need for a scrubber unit for use in
a commercial polyurethane foam producing or fabricating
operation" (brief, page 4). This is a significant claim
limitation, when one considers that the crux of the examiner's
prior art rejection is based on Example 18 of Maegerlein, a
"control test" which uses a rather small test unit scrubber to
demonstrate that the use of inert packing material (Raschig
rings) alone results in the shut down of the operation because
of polyurea build-up. While the examiner correctly points out
5
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Next
Last modified: November 3, 2007