Appeal No. 1996-4167 Page 7
Application No. 08/324,369
receive the extrudate and direct the extrudate to the outlet bore. A second/running
position in which the extrudate can pass from the inlet to the outlet via the filter. In the
first/start-up position the filter which is not in the flow of extrudate can be replaced. In
the second/running position the tap which is not in the flow of extrudate can be replaced
with another filter.
In our view, the combined teachings of the applied prior art would have made it
obvious at the time the invention was made to a person of ordinary skill in the art to
have only modified the filter-replacement device of either Shirato, Lin or the Admitted
Prior Art by modifying the blocking position of the first and second cartridges to be a
replaceable tap as taught by either Konno or Gaul. However, such a modification to the
filter-replacement device of either Shirato, Lin or the Admitted Prior Art does not result
in the claimed invention since the modified first and second cartridges would still only
be moveable to two positions. Thus, the modified filter-replacement devices of Shirato,
Lin or the Admitted Prior Art lack the claimed first cartridge being movable between
(1) a start-up position in which, extrudate flow to the first filter is blocked and in which
the tap communicates with the inlet via the first flow passage to receive the extrudate
and direct the extrudate to the outlet bore, (2) a running position in which the extrudate
can pass from the inlet to the outlet via the first flow passage and through the first filter
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next
Last modified: November 3, 2007