Appeal No. 2000-1868
Application No. 08/730,217
to cause partial or complete conversion to aluminum chloride
hexahydrate (ACH)(abstract; col. 2, l. 62-col. 3, l. 9).
Cambridge teaches calcining, preferably in two steps, of the
recovered ACH and any unreacted hydrated alumina to produce a
lower impurity crystalline alumina (col. 3, ll. 18-42).
The examiner finds that col. 7, ll. 4-7, of Cambridge
teaches that alpha alumina is formed at higher calcination
temperatures (Answer, page 11). From this finding, the examiner
concludes that there is a suggestion that “there is in fact at
least some alpha alumina which is being calcined between 800 and
1200°C.” Id. However, as discussed above, the claimed subject
matter on appeal requires that the alpha alumina powder
containing the halogen is heated to remove the halogen (e.g., see
claim 1 on appeal). The examiner has failed to show that this
limitation is disclosed or suggested by Cambridge.
Additionally, on this record the examiner has failed to
provide any convincing motivation, reasoning, or suggestion for
combining the references as proposed. For each prior art
rejection, the examiner has merely set forth the conclusory
statement that it would have been obvious to heat the product of
the primary references “to remove halogen because this would
provide a purer product which is more marketable” (e.g., Answer,
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