Appeal No. 2002-0843
Application No. 09/611,182
reducing agent" (lines 5-8). Also, it does not appear that
appellants have taken issue with the examiner's factual finding
that JP '168 utilizes a rhodium salt "in the form of an ammine-
nitrite salt, which meets the limitations of the applicant's
Claim 3" (page 4 of Answer, last paragraph). Also, JP '168
discloses that the electroless plating bath may contain the
ammine complex salt of other metals, such as platinum, in
addition to the ammine complex salt of rhodium (page 3 of
translation, third paragraph). Furthermore, although appellants'
specification describes the plating bath of JP '168 as comprising
platinum and rhodium ammine chlorides, the reference also
discloses that the ammine salt can be a nitrite as well as a
halide, i.e., "X is a halogen, NO2 etc." (id., fourth paragraph).
The reference further discloses that "[i]n the case of plating
the rhodium alloy, it is preferred to treat the mixed salt of the
salts of rhodium, platinum, rutheniums, iridium, nickel and
cobalt similarly with the hot ammonia water under pressurization
and use it as a stable mixed ammine salt complex solution" (id.,
last paragraph). As for the substrate to be plated, the
reference teaches substrates of metal, synthetic resin, glass and
ceramics (see page 6 of translation, paragraph six).
Accordingly, the examiner should determine whether JP '168
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