Appeal No. 1998-2203
Application 08/428,497
converted to higher melting products by heating at
temperatures near their melting point (col. 18, line 5; col.
55, lines 10-15). The examiner argues that “[i]t would have
been obvious to employ the polyamic acid of Vaughan as the
heat convertible polymer in Morgan especially since French
2,179,004 shows it is well known to employ such heat
convertible polymer precursor in making shear precipitated
pulp” (answer, page 4). This argument is not well taken
because, first, the examiner has not established that the
polymers disclosed by Vaughan are heat convertible as that
term is used by Morgan. Second, even if Vaughan’s polymers
are heat convertible according to Morgan’s definition of that
term, the examiner has not explained why Morgan’s teaching of
heat converting polymers to higher melting products would have
led one of ordinary skill in the art to form Vaughan’s
poly(amic acid) into a fibrid, make the fibrid into a paper,
and then heat the paper to convert it to polyimide paper. The
teaching in FR ‘004 relied upon by the examiner, as discussed
above, pertains to making pulp by a precipitation process
involving shearing. The examiner does not explain, and it is
not apparent, why a disclosure of making pulp in this manner,
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