Appeal No. 2000-0048
Application 08/909,869
softening temperature of the coating material for the
application of the coating, with the anticipation of producing
the expected coating on the substrate” (answer, page 5).
This argument is inconsistent with the teaching by
Shaneyfelt that the powder is applied at a temperature such
that small powder particles, which ordinarily will not hold a
charge and will not adhere to the workpiece, adhere readily to
the surface of the workpiece (col. 8, line 64 - col. 9, line
4). This teaching indicates that the workpiece temperature at
the time the powder contacts the workpiece surface is above
the softening point temperature of the powder such that the
small powder particles which do not hold a charge and,
therefore, are not held to the workpiece surface by
electrostatic attraction, adhere to the workpiece surface by
way of being thermally softened upon contact with that
surface.
The appellants’ claims both require that a sheet of the
workpiece having a slower cooling rate cools below the powder
softening point temperature during the application of the
powder coating material to the workpiece. The indication by
Shaneyfelt, however, that the powder is applied to a workpiece
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