Appeal No. 2000-0583
Application No. 08/955,984
drying and between drying and expanding. Additionally, the
claim language does not preclude additional steps not recited
in the claim.
Having ascertained the scope and content of claim 1, we
now turn to the Levy reference to determine the scope and
content thereof. Levy discloses a thermoplastic balloon
fabricated by the method of drawing (extruding) a polymeric,
preferably polyethylene terepthalate (PET) homopolyester,
tubing and thereafter expanding the tube. As disclosed at
column 4, line 50 et seq., the drawn tubing is inserted into a
mold similar to that shown in Figure 1, pinched off at the
lower end and subjected to axial tension by the addition of
weights. The mold, tubing and weights are then inserted into
a liquid medium at 87 C and allowed to heat for about 1o
minute, during which time axial orientation occurs.
Thereafter, about 200 psi of gas pressure is applied to the
tubing, which radially orients the tubing in the mold cavity.
This pressurization step lasts about two minutes. The
assembly (tubing, mold and weights) is then cooled by
immersion into a cold liquid, the pressure is released and the
finished balloon is removed from the mold.
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