Appeal No. 2000-0030
Application No. 08/723,451
reason to combine Been with Kaump so as to arrive at
appellants’ claimed pollution prevention system as defined in
the claims on appeal. More specifically, in our view, even if
it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art
to provide the outlet (34) of the solvent collection tank (12)
in Been with a valve as seen in the outlet line (38) of Kaump,
we see no reason why one of ordinary skill in the art would
have remotely considered providing the waste solvent tank of
Been with a second valved outlet connected to a public sewage
system, as required in the claims before us on appeal. Such a
modification of the solvent collection tank (12) of Been would
be antithetical to the entire teachings of that patent
relating to the safe collection and disposal of corrosive
waste solvents and the need expressed therein to avoid
pollution of the environment. As for the Kaump patent, even
though this reference appears to include all of the basic
structural features of appellants’ claim 1 on appeal, we note
that the arrangement and operation of the grate (50) and the
overflow (62) therein will provide some flow into the sewer
drain line (60) whenever there is flow of water into the tank
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