Appeal No. 2000-0496
Serial No. 08/795,626
a point source site within the space where pollution is
originating.
The JP ‘212 apparatus has an airborne pollutant collector
hose which is shown as appearing flexible and extendably
maneuverable and having a distal end positionable at a point
source site of pollutant origin (figures 1(a) and 3(a)). JP ‘212
does not disclose at least one articulatable exterior support
structure for the hose. However, the disclosure by Ray that a
conventional gas spring (45) is effective for supporting an air
pollutant capture arm (44) at any desirable angular disposition
relative to the housing (12) (col. 3, lines 33-38) would have led
one of ordinary skill in the art to obtain this benefit in the
JP ‘212 apparatus by using such a gas spring to support the hose.
The JP ‘212 housing contains a vacuum system (fan 5) in
communication with the hose to draw airborne pollutants into the
housing through the hose to a filter system (14, 4) (pages 6-7).
The JP ‘212 filter system includes a plurality of removable
filters (14, 4) within the housing and to which airborne
pollutants drawn into the housing from the hose are delivered to
be trapped and retained (pages 7-8).
The appellants argue that Vross’ metal impingers (39) do not
function in the removal of airborne oil, grease and solvent
residues as alleged by the examiner (brief, page 7). That
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