Appeal No. 1998-1217
Application No. 08/405,599
1. A process for making compacts from coal particles,
the process comprising:
heating a particulate feed comprising substantially
water-saturated coal particles to a temperature greater than
about 100° C, said particulate feed being heated at a
pressure sufficient to prevent water in said feed from
boiling;
compacting said heated particulate feed in a mold by
applying a compressive stress to said heated feed to form
said compact; and
cooling the formed compact, said compact being cooled at
a pressure sufficient to prevent water in said cooling
compact from boiling.
The references relied upon by the Examiner as evidence of
obviousness are:
Beckmann 3,841,849 Oct. 15,
1974
Dick, Jr. 4,208,188 June
17, 1980
Phillips 1,149,536 Aug. 10,
1915
Beaudequin '570 1,597,570 Aug. 24,
1926
Beaudequin '571 1,597,571 Aug. 24,
1926
Claims 1-20 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being
unpatentable over Dick in view of Phillips and Beaudequin'570
and
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