Appeal No. 2002-2029
Application No. 09/440,037
paper 11) in the above-identified application. Claims 15
through 19, which are the only other pending claims, stand
withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR
§ 1.142(b) (1959). (Office action mailed Sep. 20, 2000, paper
5; Reply filed Oct. 23, 2000, paper 6.)
The subject matter on appeal relates to a process for
accelerating the maturation of an unaged or partially aged
beverage. According to the appellants, “[t]he present
disclosure provides methods of aging beverages that result in
distilled beverages that are aged for much shorter periods, even
as short as about 30-40 days or even less, that have the
character conventionally achieved only after four years of
aging.” (Specification, page 3, lines 15-17.) Further details
of this appealed subject matter are recited in representative
claims, 1, 20, and 23, the only independent claims on appeal,
reproduced below:
1. A process for accelerating the maturation of
an unaged or partially aged beverage comprising:
(a) determining a target concentration of ethyl
acetate for the product of said maturation;
(b) providing an unaged or partially aged
beverage with from about ½ to about 2½ grams/100 PL of
ethyl acetate in excess of said target concentration;
(c) flowing said beverage of step (b) through a
closed system wherein said closed system comprises a
beverage aging wood product such that a beverage
2
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