Appeal No. 2000-1653
Application No. 08/906,586
variation or fluctuation: CONSISTENT.”2
With reference to Figure 1 of Johnston, element 2, which
is the element the examiner equates to the claimed “first
tubular chamber,” comprises a polymer filament or thread
producing apparatus having an inner pipe 4 perforated with a
number of holes 6 and wrapped with a very fine wire mesh, and
an outer pipe 12 covering the perforated pipe to provide an
annulus therebetween (column 3, lines 38-45). An inlet 8 is
provided at the end of the apparatus for the introduction of
solvent and an inlet 14 is provided in the sidewall of the
outer pipe for the introduction of viscous polymer (column 3,
lines 45-47). Johnston’s process is carried out by
introducing the solvent through inlet 8 into the inner pipe 4.
At the same time, a high molecular weight polymer is pumped
into the annulus between pipes 12 and 4 through inlet 14. The
polymer pumped into the annulus is forced by high pressure
differential through the fine mesh in openings of the
perforated inner pipe and into the flowing stream of solvent
(column 3, line 62, through column 4, line 6). Johnston
Webster’s II New Riverside University Dictionary,2
copyright © 1984 by Houghton Mifflin Co.
5
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Next
Last modified: November 3, 2007