Appeal No. 1999-0058
Application No. 08/701,878
filtering and optionally washing the impregnated support with
distilled water; (c) drying and roasting the impregnated support
in air at a temperature from about 110ºC to about 600ºC;3 (d)
reducing the impregnated carrier with hydrogen at a temperature
from about 200ºC to about 600ºC;4 and then (e) impregnating the
resulting product with an aqueous or organic solution of a
germanium, tin, and/or lead compound. (Column 3, lines 5-18.)
As pointed out by the examiner (examiner's answer, page 4),
Bournonville teaches that an alkali metal such as Na may be
present in the support. (Column 2, lines 36-45.) Further, the
examiner correctly found (examiner's answer, page 7) that
Bournonville describes the impregnation of an aqueous solution of
a halogenated Group VIII compound into the support. In this
regard, nickel chloride is the first of only a few species of
nickel compounds listed at Bournonville's column 3, lines 39-43.
Additionally, Bournonville teaches the incorporation of other
conventional dehydrogenating Group VIII metals, which include
platinum. (Column 4, lines 13-21.)
On the basis of these factual findings, we are convinced
that it would have been prima facie obvious for one of ordinary
3 The calcination of the impregnated support containing the
group VIII metal as recited in the appealed claims may be
conducted "in an oxidizing atmosphere between 300ºC and 650ºC."
(Specification, p. 9, ll. 22-24.)
4 The reduction of the calcined, impregnated support as
recited in the appealed claims is preferably conducted in
hydrogen at a temperature between 300ºC and 600ºC.
(Specification, p. 9, l. 24 to p. 10, l. 8.)
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