Appeal No. 1998-3202
Application No. 08/456,294
5. A method for the preparation of a decorative surface appearance of a molded body
manufactured from a polymer comprising polypropylene said method comprising the steps of
adding to a mixture of:
a) from 95 to 50% by weight of isotactic polypropylene or copolymers of propylene
with up to 10% by weight of ethylene,
b) from 5 to 50% by weight of ethylene-propylene-rubber copolymers which are
compatible with polypropylene and
c) from 10 to 50% by weight of reinforcing fillers
carbon fibers having a fiber length of from 0.5 to 18 mm in an amount from 0.3 to 3% by weight,
calculated on total weight of the mixture of a) plus b) plus c), and shaping the mixture and the
added carbon fibers to produce said molded body.
The sole issue in this appeal is whether the examiner properly rejected claims 5 and 8
under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over Kishida et al.1
Discussion
According to appellant, the issue in this appeal is whether the teachings of Kishida render
obvious the claimed range of carbon fibers. See Brief, p. 4.
Claim 5 is directed to a method for preparing a decorative surface appearance of a molded
body manufactured from a polymer comprising polypropylene. The method includes the step of
adding to a mixture of a) polypropylene or copolymers thereof, b) ethylene-propylene-rubber
copolymers and c) from 10 to 50% reinforcing fillers, from 0.3 to 3% by weight, based on the
total weight of a), b) and c), of carbon fibers having a fiber length of from 0.5 to 18 mm.
1U.S. Patent No. 4,720,516 granted on January 19, 1988, to Kishida et al. (hereinafter
“Kishida”).
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