Appeal No. 2001-1440
Application 08/931,635
chloride in alcohol (col. 2, lines 21-69). The alcohol
preferably contains a small amount of dissolved water to cause
the reaction to proceed at a much more rapid rate (col. 2,
lines 40-44; col. 4, lines 39-41 and 59-61). Precipitated solids
are separated from the semiaqueous solution to obtain a lithium
chloride solution (col. 2, lines 25-32 and 58-65; col. 4,
lines 28-31). Hermann does not disclose reacting the lithium
sulfate with the sodium chloride or potassium chloride in an
aqueous solution and adding an organic solvent to the aqueous
solution (independent claims 1, 9 and 26) or dissolving the
lithium sulfate and sodium chloride or potassium chloride in an
aqueous solution, and adding an organic solvent to the aqueous
solution (independent claims 10 and 15).
The examiner argues that the methods of Hermann and the
appellant differ only in the order in which the reactants are
contacted with the water and the organic solvent, i.e., Hermann
contacts the reactants simultaneously with water and organic
solvent, whereas the appellant first contacts the reactants with
water and then adds organic solvent to the reaction mixture
(brief, page 4). Merely reversing the order of adding the water
and organic solvent, the examiner argues, is not a patentable
modification. See id.
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