Appeal No. 2002-0701
Application 09/201,269
temperature, low vapor pressure monomer and peroxide initiator in
Houser’s and Puschak’s polymerizations to produce a polymer
having low residual monomer content and thereby to prevent, as
taught by Margotte (col. 1, lines 37-40), toxic pollutants from
being released into the environment (answer, pages 8-9). The use
of Margotte’s temperature and peroxide initiator, however,
results in a residual monomer content of about 0.5 to 3 wt%
(col. 3, lines 56-58). The lower residual monomer content is
obtained by using a low vapor pressure monomer and peroxide
initiator in a second radically-induced polymerization (col. 3,
lines 59-62). The appellant’s claim 19, in contrast, requires
that the polymerization of the monomer mixture including at least
one monomer having at least about two ethylenically unsaturated
polymerizable bonds per molecule to form a branched vinyl resin
results in less than about 0.5 wt% residual monomer. The
examiner has not explained how Margotte would have fairly
suggested, to one of ordinary skill in the art, obtaining the
lower residual monomer content in this polymerization.
The examiner argues that Oshima discloses the equivalence
and interchangeability of t-butyl peroxide initiators and t-butyl
peroxy isopropyl carbonate initiators (answer, page 9).
Apparently, by “t-butyl peroxide initiators” the examiner is
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