Appeal No. 1997-1069
Application No. 08/234,959
as unpatentable over the disclosure of Furrer.2
We reverse.
The claimed subject matter is directed to a process for
grafting a monomer onto a polyolefin which is capable of
undergoing cross-linking in a molten state in the presence of
an organic peroxide. See claim 1. The process involves
admixing the polyolefin, the monomer and a carrier polymer
coated with the organic peroxide in an extruder, heating the
resulting mixture at a temperature above the melting point of
both the polyolefin and the carrier polymer and extruding the
resultant grafted polyolefin from the extruder. Id. The
carrier polymer is limited to only those polymers which can
undergo "chain scission in preference to cross-linking in the
presence of the organic peroxide at said [melting]
temperature." Id. According to appellants (the
specification, pages 7-9, example 1), the use of carrier
polymers which undergo cross-linking in preference to chain
scission in the presence of organic peroxides in the claimed
2The examiner has withdrawn the rejection of claims 1
through 12 under 35 U.S.C. § 102(e) as anticipated by the
disclosure of Furrer as set forth in the final Office action
dated December 21, 1995 (Paper No. 9). See the Answer, page
2.
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