Appeal No. 2002-1653
Application No. 09/543,336
We have thoroughly reviewed each of appellants' arguments
for patentability. We are in complete agreement, however, with
the examiner that the claimed subject matter would have been
obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art within the meaning of
35 U.S.C. § 103 in view of the applied prior art. Accordingly,
we will sustain the examiner's rejection for essentially those
reasons expressed in the Answer, which we incorporate herein. We
add the following for emphasis only.
Appellants do not dispute the examiner's factual
determination that Chen, like appellants, discloses a composition
comprising a polyacetoacetate and a crosslinker wherein a
preferred ratio of acetoacetate groups to crosslinker groups is
1.5, which falls directly within the claimed range of 1.15 to 2.
Also like appellants' composition, the composition of Chen finds
utility as a coating composition (see Abstract, first sentence).
Accordingly, based on the Chen disclosure alone, we find that
coating compositions within the scope of appealed claim 1 would
have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the
art. Hoy, cited by the examiner for disclosing a 10% excess of
acetoacetate groups to crosslinker groups, lends further support
to the conclusion of obviousness.
-3-
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Next
Last modified: November 3, 2007