Appeal No. 1996-1644
Application No. 07/933,147
It is not possible, based on these studies, to reach
any conclusion regarding the oxidation of any
particular diamond face.
The remaining exhibits indicate that the surface of a diamond
can be oxidized as acknowledged by appellants at pages 10
through 13 of the Brief. Exhibit 6, for example, states that
“the entire surface of diamond is capable of chemisorbing
oxygen”. See page 447. Exhibit 8 also states that “[d]iamond
with chemisorbed oxygen is hydrophilic...Complete coverage
with [oxygen] is possible.” See page 283. Although they may
not specify the density of oxygen functional groups on the
surface of a diamond as alleged by appellants, the fact
remains that the diamond surface can be oxidized to exhibit at
least some hydrophilic nature. These exhibits support, rather
than contradict, the prior art teachings relied upon by the
examiner, which indicate that the diamond surface can be
oxidized with conventional plasma oxidation techniques, such
as R.F. plasma oxidation.
In view of the forgoing, we determine that the claimed
subject matter as a whole would have been obvious to one of
ordinary skill in the art in view of the applied prior art.
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