Appeal No. 2005-0657
Application No. 10/136,984
limestone feedstock become intimately blended, calcined and
reacted into cement clinker as they progress through the
kiln.
The examiner has relied upon the following references as
evidence of obviousness:
Young 5,421,880 Jun. 06, 1995
Oates et al. (Oates) 6,391,105 B1 May 21, 2002
(filed Feb. 16, 2001)
Claim 1 stands rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a) as
unpatentable over Young alone or in view of Oates (Answer, page
3). We affirm both rejections on appeal essentially for the
reasons stated in the Answer and those reasons set forth below.
OPINION
The examiner finds that Young discloses a method of making
cement clinker using a rotary kiln where feedstock material,
including metallurgical slag such as blast furnace slag as a
separate feed material, is added at the feed end of the kiln such
that this combined stream of feedstock material moves to the heat
end of the kiln (Answer, page 3). Appellants agree with these
findings of the examiner (Brief, page 3).
With regard to the rejection over Young alone, the examiner
finds that Young does not specifically teach adding slag through
kiln dust infeed ports at a mid point location (Answer, page 3).
However, it is the examiner’s position that merely changing the
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