Appeal No. 2005-1236 Application No. 10/065,796 downstream from the water trap in the vehicle exhaust system. More preferably, the hydrocarbon-removing material has a sufficiently low Si to Al atom ratio that less than about 50% of the low molecular hydrocarbons desorb from the hydrocarbon- removing composition at a temperature of about 275oC; and, most preferably, the hydrocarbon-removing material has a sufficiently low Si to Al atom ratio that less than about 50% of the low molecular hydrocarbons desorb from the hydrocarbon- removing composition at a temperature of about 300oC. The hydrocarbon removing material will preferably comprise SiO2 and Al2O3. More preferably, the hydrocarbon-removing material is a zeolite. Suitable zeolites include, but are not limited to, a pentasil zeolite, a faujasite zeolite, mordenite, a beta zeolite, ferriete, a mesopore zeolite, or mixtures thereof. In a particularly preferred variation of this embodiment, the zeolites have a Si to Al atom ratio less than about 25. More preferably, in this variation, the Si to A1 atom ratio [is] less than about 15, and most preferably, the Si to Al atom ratio is less than about 10. The appellants do not dispute the examiner’s finding that the preferred low Si to Al atom ratio of less than about 25 disclosed at page 7 of the specification is equal to a low Si to Al mole ratio of less than about 50. Compare the Answer, page 4, with the Brief and the Reply Brief in their entirety. It follows that the hydrocarbon-removing material having the claimed function includes Hertl’s pentasil zeolite (ZSM-5) having a low Si to Al mole ratio of 26, since according to pages 6 and 7 of the specification, a pentasil zeolite having a preferred low Si to Al atom ratio of less than about 25 (mole ratio of less than about 50) has the claimed function. The appellants have not shown that the pentasil zeolite exemplified in Hertl does not necessarily possess the claimed 5Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 NextLast modified: November 3, 2007