Appeal No. 2005-0510
Application No. 09/883,435
areas co-operating therewith” (see claim 1 on appeal). The
crystallization units 26 of Kim comprise several walled reaction
chambers, each with a central reservoir,1 a separate gas chamber
(see Figure 3), and several reaction areas co-operating therewith
(see the 4 drop chambers 32 co-operating with the central reservoir
28). The “reaction areas” (drop chambers 32) of Kim are connected
to one another and to the reservoir (central reservoir 28) by
diffusion channels 30 in order to exchange gas (see col. 5, ll. 4-
9). The “walled reaction chambers” of Kim (crystallization units
26) are disposed “immediately adjacent” to each other in straight
rows, as the term “immediately adjacent” has been construed above.
Similarly, the straight rows of Kim are disposed “immediately
adjacent” to one another in “immediately adjacent” parallel rows
since each reaction chamber, as well as each row, is disposed with
a common wall between one another (e.g., see Figure 2 of Kim, where
there is a common wall (unnumbered) around and between each
reaction chamber (crystallization unit 26)).
1
1Contrary to appellants’ argument (Brief, page 12), we
determine that the central reservoir 28 of Kim does not
correspond to the claimed walled reaction chamber but forms the
walled reaction chamber with the drop chambers 32 and the
diffusion channels 30. Therefore the reaction areas (drop
chambers 32) of Kim are inside the walled reaction chamber (the
crystallization unit 26).
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