Appeal No. 1998-1009
Application No. 08/656,733
remove both polymer dust and monomers simultaneously from the
claimed gas.
We find that Scoggin teaches removing particular polymer
particles entrained in a gas via a scrubber (packed column).
See column 2. The gas is fed to the bottom of a scrubber and
is recovered from the top of the scrubber. Id. A scrubbing
liquid, such as water, is fed counter-currently to the gas
stream in the scrubber to wash the entrained particles from
the gas and collect them at the surface of a liquid level
within the scrubber. See
columns 2 and 3. Scoggin does not teach the removal of
monomers, nor does it teach a gas containing polymer dust,
monomers and water from a thermoplastic polymer dryer. See
Scoggin in its entirety.
To remedy these deficiencies, the examiner relies on the
disclosure of either Bolle or Braun. See Answer, page 4.
However, none of these references teaches or would have
suggested removing both dust and monomers via a scrubber.
Both Braun and Bolle teach recovering a monomeric lactam
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