Appeal No. 2002-1856
Application No. 09/255,699
Sander discloses a bubble chamber spectrometer 10 for
detecting the presence and concentration of an analyte in a
solvent. In Sander’s words,
[a] bubble chamber [12] receives a solution containing
an analyte to be detected. A laser [32] is adapted to
direct an output laser beam through the bubble chamber,
where the laser is selected to be absorbed by the
analyte and to be transmitted by the solvent. A video
camera [44] is adapted to display passage of said laser
beam through said bubble chamber so that bubbles in the
solvent arising from energy deposition in the analyte
can be counted to characterize the analyte both
quantitatively and qualitatively [column 2, lines 2
through 11].
In proposing to combine Ciardella with Houser and Sander,
the examiner submits that it would have been obvious “to have
replaced the nozzle of Ciardella et al. with the reciprocated
nozzle plate of Houser to increase the spray pattern” (answer,
page 3 and page 4), and “to have replaced the bubble detection
means of Ciardella et al. with the bubble detection means of
Sander et al. to view the bubbles” (answer, pages 4 and 5).
In short, there is nothing in the fair teachings of
Ciardella, Houser and Sander which would have motivated one of
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