Appeal No. 2001-1680
Application 08/890,471
atmosphere. Id. at lines 12-14. The venting operation has
the undesirable drawback of releasing fumes into the
atmosphere. Id. at lines 15-17.
Various prior art attempts have been made to eliminate or
reduce release of such fumes. See id., pages 1-2. In one
prior art method, a vertical chimney, extending from the
roofing kettle lid or cover, is equipped with a burner. Id.,
page 2, lines 4-9. Heat from the burner causes air to rise in
the chimney and fumes passing through the chimney are burned
to eliminate visible smoke and odor. Id. at lines 9-13.
According to appellant, fire and explosion are of concern in
this type of arrangement because the burner is positioned in
close proximity to the material in the roofing kettle and
there is no provision for stopping gas flow to the burner if
the burner flame does not start or is extinguished. Id. at
lines 13-19. Further, appellant notes that because air flow
is dependent solely on the chimney effect, fumes tend to
escape from the kettle around the lid cover and at other
locations. Id. at lines 19-22. Appellant states that
Schrader utilizes a type of device which is similar in
operation to the above-described device. Appeal Brief, page
4, second paragraph.
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