Appeal No. 2001-0129
Application No. 09/035,655
to Col.2, line 9). Masuda discloses that the medical device
or planar fibrous pad is preferably a hollow blood processing
device employing cellulose acetate hollow fibers (Col. 4,
lines 40 to 62). Masuda does not disclose that the medical
device or fibrous pad is rigid. Therefore, we will not
sustain the examiner’s rejection of claim 1 and claims 2 and 3
dependent thereon. Likewise, we will not sustain this
rejection as it is directed to claim 5 and claims 6, 8 and 9
dependent thereon because claim 5 recites “providing at least
one rigid, planar fibrous pad.”
We turn next to the examiner’s rejection of claims 4 and
7 under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over Masuda in
view of Siciliano. The examiner relies on Siciliano for
teaching a pad formed from an absorbent material being
fabricated from cotton. The examiner concludes:
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary
skill in the art at the time the invention was made
to have formed the planar fibrous pad as taught by
Masuda of cotton as taught by Siciliano since cotton
material
is an effective material for absorbance of body fluids
. . .[examiner’s answer at page 7].
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