Appeal No. 2002-1001
Application No. 09/202,906
The subject matter on appeal relates to an orthoester-based
polymer having a specified structure. Further details of this
appealed subject matter are recited in claim 3, which depends
from claim 1, both reproduced below:
1. An orthoester-based polymer, having the
general formula
wherein R1 is hydrogen or a hydrocarbon group having 1-
4 carbon atoms; R2 is a group (A)nY, where each A is an
ethyleneoxy group or higher alkyleneoxy group having
3-4 carbon atoms, and each Y is hydrogen or an alkyl
group having 1-4 carbon atoms, provided that when Y is
hydrogen, n is a number from 1 to 100, R3 and R4 are
groups of the formula (A)nY, where A, n and Y have the
above meaning, or a di- or polycondensate of the
polymer via free hydroxyl groups in R2, R3 or R4, the
total sum of all n being 8-2,500, and that at least
one of the groups R2, R3 and R4 contains at least one
block of at least 4 alkyleneoxy groups having 3 and/or
4 carbon atoms.
3. The polymer of claim 1 which has a molecular
weight from 600 to 100,000.
The examiner relies on the following prior art references
as evidence of unpatentability:
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