Appeal No. 2004-0052
Application No. 09/180,432
anisotropic pitch-based carbon fibers having a specified average
fiber length and diameter, being bonded by a thermosetting resin so
as to form a carbon fiber aggregate which is non-galvanic corrosive
with a specified bulk density, as well as methods for the
preparation of this insulation material (Brief, pages 2-5).
Appellants state that the claims stand or fall together in
three groups (Brief, page 6). Appellants’ third group (claims 11,
12 and 43) is moot since the examiner has indicated that these
claims are allowed (Answer, page 2). Appellants have presented
reasonably specific, substantive arguments for the separate
patentability of claims 1 and 10 (e.g., Brief, page 14). Therefore
we select claims 1 and 10 from appellants’ two groups and decide
the ground of rejection based on consideration of these two claims
alone. See 37 CFR § 1.192(c)(7)(2000). Illustrative independent
claim 1 is reproduced below:
1. A thermal acoustic insulation material comprising:
a multiplicity of anisotropic pitch-based carbon fibers having
an average fiber diameter of not less than 0.5 :m but less than
2 :m and an average fiber length of 1 mm to 15 mm, said carbon
fibers being non-galvanic corrosive and being bonded by a
thermosetting resin at contact points of said carbon fibers so
as to form a carbon fiber aggregate having a bulk density of
from 3 kg/m3 to 10 kg/m3;
wherein said thermal-acoustic insulation material is non-
galvanic corrosive.
2
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