Appeal No. 1999-1387
Application No. 08/593,507
abstract and claims 1, 10 and 16). Furthermore, Mussinelli ‘934
teaches that the prior art has “only 500 to 2,000 nodes per square
meter which means the anode is greatly expanded.” See col. 2, ll.
8-10, underlining added. Additionally, Mussinelli ‘502, cited by
appellants (Brief, page 9), teaches that the prior art, which has
500 to 2,000 nodes per square meter, is “subject to easy breakage
resulting in areas of no current density where rebars are
unprotected” (col. 2, ll. 15-19). Mussinelli ‘502 also teaches
that the nodes per square meter of concrete surface is at least 200
(col. 2, ll. 50-52). Finally, Bennett ‘961 discloses a network of
strands “most always interconnected by from about 500 to about 2000
nodes per square meter of the mesh.” Bennett ‘961 further teaches
that “less than about 500 of the interconnecting nodes per square
meter of the mesh may provide for insufficient redundancy in the
mesh.” See col. 10, ll. 45-54. Of course, sufficient redundancy
is the key aspect of the prior art use of mesh or a grid structure
(see Bennett ‘961, col. 5, ll. 12-17).
In the face of all of this evidence leading away from the
claimed number of nodes per square meter, the examiner admits that
“portions of the Mussinelli [‘934] disclosure do set forth an anode
grid of 2000 to 7000 nodes per square meter” but relies on Figure 1
of this reference as showing less than 100 nodes per square meter,
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