Appeal No. 2001-0175
Application No. 08/857,585
exhibit increased thermal stability (see column 2, lines 40-44
and column 5, lines 2-5). In addition, the examiner cites
Inoue's teaching of using a high silica zeolite with a silica/
alumina ratio greater than 20 for treating and cleaning exhaust
gases. Accordingly, based on the teachings of the applied prior
art, we are satisfied that the examiner has properly found that
it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art
to employ the zeolite-coated honeycomb structure of Kawabata
wherein the silica/alumina ratio is not less than 40 with the
expectation that the honeycomb structure would serve as an
adsorbent having stability to heat, steam and acid. We note that
Eberly teaches that, more preferably, the silica/alumina ratio is
greater than about 50.
The principal argument advanced by appellants is that one of
ordinary skill in the art would not have looked to Eberly, which
is directed to a catalyst in the field of oil reforming, for
modifying the adsorbent of Kawabata, which is directed to an
adsorbent for exhaust gases. According to appellants, whereas
Eberly is restricted to hydrocarbon conversions, "[a]utomobile
exhaust gas contains a mixture of various components including
hydrocarbons, CO, O2, CO2, N2, H2O, and the like with the
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