Appeal No. 2000-1386
Application No. 09/078,477
Layer: one thickness, course, or fold laid or lying over
or under another. Id. at 1281 (1layer 2a).2
3. Injecting: to throw, drive, or force in. Id. at 1164
(inject 1a).
Huttlin teaches that:
wetting medium discharged from a nozzle 42 is sprayed
from above onto the upper layer of a material 44, while
the drum 10, which rotates in the direction of the arrow
F in FIG. 1 entrains the lower layer of the material 44
upwards in the direction of rotation and causes the upper
layer of the material to flow downwards in the direction
of the arrow G at an angle about 45/ to the horizontal.
Column 4, lines 46-53 (emphasis added). Huttlin further teaches
that the nozzles 42 may be directed upwards from the immersion body
46 and, therefore, into the upper layer of the material 44. See
column 5, lines 56-61. Thus, Huttlin teaches a smooth movement of
material (cascading flow) and discharge (injection) of a wetting
medium into the upper (top) moving layer. Accordingly, we agree
with the examiner’s conclusion that Huttlin renders obvious the
invention as claimed.
Claims 7 and 16-19 are further rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103
over Moore in view of Huttlin.
2
2The specification contains no limitations on the
amount/level of granular material which constitutes the “top
moving layer.”
7
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