Appeal No. 1998-3386
Application No. 08/265,698
Claim 1 is illustrative of the subject matter on appeal and is reproduced
below:
1. A method of degrading compounds contained in a liquid or solid waste
stream, comprising the steps of:
a) providing in any order i) a reaction containing means having a
semi-permeable membrane partition and first and second sides of
said partition, ii) a manganese peroxidase derived from a white rot
fungus, for which said membrane is not permeable, and iii) at least
one substrate for said peroxidase;
b) adding in any order, under conditions suitable and for a time
sufficient to produce a reaction intermediate that is capable of
degrading compounds in said waste stream, i) to said first side of
said partition, said peroxidase and said substrate to create a reaction
mixture, thereby generating a reaction intermediate for which said
membrane is permeable, ii) to said second side of said partition, said
compound-containing waste stream; and
c) applying a pressure to said reaction mixture on said first side of
said partition so as to force said reaction intermediate across said
membrane into said compound-containing waste stream, under
conditions suitable and for a time sufficient to degrade said
compounds by the action of said intermediate upon said compounds,
thereby degrading said compounds.
The reference relied upon by the examiner is:
Lackner et al. (Lackner), “Oxidative degradation of high molecular weight
chlorolignin by manganese peroxidase of Phanerochaete chrysosporium,”
Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Vol. 178, No. 3, pp.
1092-1098 (1991)
GROUND OF REJECTION
Claims 1, 3, 5-10, 12, 14-17, 21 and 23-33 are rejected under 35 U.S.C.
§ 103 as being unpatentable over Lackner.
We reverse.
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