Appeal No. 2002-1097
Application 09/382,613
page 2). We reverse the examiner’s rejection essentially for the
reasons stated in the Brief and those reasons set forth below.
OPINION
The examiner finds that Tanaka discloses purifying a
contaminated polycarbonate composition by contacting the
composition with an inorganic adsorbent in order to remove basic
catalyst residues such as sodium or potassium hydroxides (Answer,
paragraph bridging pages 2-3). The examiner recognizes that
Tanaka fails to disclose or suggest the use of alumina as the
adsorbent material (Answer, page 3). Therefore, the examiner
applies McDaniel for the teaching “that alumina is capable of
adsorbing basic catalysts such as sodium hydroxide or potassium
hydroxide (col. 1, lines 22-23) from a contaminated composition.”
Id. From these findings, the examiner concludes that it would
have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to employ
the alumina of McDaniel as the inorganic adsorbent material of
Tanaka “since this secondary reference alumina is capable of
adsorbing basic catalysts such as sodium hydroxide or potassium
hydroxide from a contaminated composition in substantially the
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