Appeal No. 2004-0479
Application No. 09/780,864
catheter are made of the same material." Furthermore, upon
our review of Cambron, we find the following facts:
1. Cambron states in the specification that "[i]n addition, it
would be advantageous if catheters were optical transparent so
that the flow of fluids therethrough could be observed." See
Cambron, column 1, lines 14-16.
2. Cambron states in the specification that "[b]lood flowing
into chamber 14 can then be detected by the operator through
the transparent wall of the chamber." See Cambron, column 4,
lines 37-39.
3. Cambron states in the specification that "[t]he term
'optical transparency' is used herein to mean a material
which, when formed into a catheter or other shaped article,
will allow the presence of blood or other fluids to be visible
from outside the catheter under normal lighting conditions.
For example, a polyurethane is optically transparent if such a
material, when formed into a tube having a wall thickness of
about 0.01 inches or less, allows the passage of blood therein
to be observed by the naked eye from outside the tube under
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