Appeal No. 2004-1137
Application No. 09/734506
[a] basic idea of the method according to the invention
is to reduce the activity of the withdrawn fluid, and
thus of the fluid sample, already during the dispensing
process and to reach a required minimum of the activity
in the shortest possible time. This is achieved in the
invention by cooling a fluid-conducting volume of the
vessel assembly prior to the dispensing process by
means of a suitable cooling assembly. This coolable
volume may extend over the total internal volume of the
vessel assembly, so that the cooling of the fluid
begins immediately upon its entry into the vessel
assembly, or comprise only part of the total internal
volume.
Independent claims 1, 17 and 24 are representative of the
subject matter on appeal, and a copy of those claims, as
reproduced from the Appendix to appellant's brief, is attached to
this decision.1
The prior art references of record relied upon by the
examiner in rejecting the claims before us on appeal are:
Gillard et al. (Gillard) 2,348,806 May 16, 1944
1 In claim 1, line 8, there is no clear and proper
antecedent basis for "the vessel." For purposes of appeal, we
will assume that appellant intends to refer to "the vessel
assembly" earlier recited in the claim. Claim 17, line 14
contains several minor typographical errors. Lines 14-15 of
claim 17 should read as follows: --lowering the internal
temperature of the vessel assembly by means of the cooling
assembly . . .--. Correction of these minor errors during any
further prosecution of the application before the examiner is
required.
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