Appeal No. 2004-1340
Application No. 09/585,061
over Brauer. (Examiner’s answer mailed Jan. 20, 2004, pages 3-
5; final Office action, pages 2-4.)
We reverse.
Brauer teaches a method of rheocasting liners for shaped
charge devices used to perforate oil well casings and well bore
holes comprising:
providing a molten metal;
transferring the molten metal to a stirring system 58,
which contains a stirring means (e.g., a mechanical auger or
electromagnetic stirring means);
maintaining the temperature of the stirring system close to
the solidification temperature of the alloy;
passing the resulting semisolid slurry 68 from the stirring
system through opening 66 to a casting chamber 70; and
forcing the slurry into a shaped charge liner mold 78 using
a ram 74. (Column 1, lines 13-18; column 8, lines 46; Figure
8.)
The appellants’ principal argument is that Brauer does not
teach or suggest discharging a “slurry billet” from a vessel
into a shot sleeve of a casting machine, as recited in the
appealed claims. (Appeal brief, page 20; reply brief filed Mar.
3
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