Appeal No. 1997-3339
Application 08/306,610
Appellants also report in the specification at page 3, lines 5
through 10, that depending on the type of carbon fiber
precursor utilized, mutually different microstructures or
high-order structures may be produced. Accordingly, it is
clear that the language of the appealed claims “milled carbon
fibers produced from mesophase pitch” imposes significant
structural limitations on the claimed invention.
Additionally, as emphasized in appellants’ brief, the claimed
fibers are further defined as consisting essentially of fibers
wherein each fiber has a cylindrical configuration, a length
of about 1 mm or less, and significantly, a cut surface
wherein the plane of the cut and the axis of the fiber
intersect or cross at an angle of 65E to 90E. The claimed
milled carbon fibers are said to solve a problem of carbide
formation when the fibers are used in reinforced metals, i.e.,
carbon fiber reinforced metal (CFRM), since the configuration
and surface morphology of the claimed fibers have a limited
and decreased reactive surface area. In short, as explained
in appellants’ specification and brief, the greater the
surface area of the carbon fiber, the greater the likelihood
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