Appeal No. 2005-1451 Page 4
Application No. 09/833,546
soluble polyamides in the same field of endeavor as Parker, namely, for the production of
flexible electrophotographic imaging members (Answer, pp. 3-4). But the fact that Fuller is
directed to forming such imaging members does not provide the required factual basis to support
the Examiner’s conclusion of obviousness. This is because the teachings in Parker and Fuller
relied upon by the Examiner are not sufficiently related such that a suggestion to make the
modification advanced by the Examiner would have been apparent to one of ordinary skill in the
art. In Parker, polyamide is described as suitable as a seam strength enhancing material (Parker,
col. 9, ll. 9, ll. 35-38). The polyamide, in strip form, is placed in contact with the puzzle cut
seam and melted into the seam with heat and pressure (Example 1, col. 9, ll. 44-60). The
purpose of the strength enhancing material is to fill the kerr spaces between the two sides of the
puzzle cut seam member to form a bonded joint (col. 9, ll. 5-41) as shown in Figure 11. In
contrast, the alcohol-soluble polyamide of Fuller is applied as an overcoating layer atop a multi-
layer imaging member. The overcoating layer is applied to protect an underlying
photoconductive layer (Fuller, col. 3, ll. 1-4). In this application, the overcoat layer serves a
different purpose and solves a different problem than the heat and/or pressure bonded strip of
strength enhancing material of Parker. The Examiner has not provided sufficient evidence
indicating that one of ordinary skill in the art would have understood the alcohol-soluble
polyamide of Fuller as having the properties necessary to serve as the strength enhancing
material of Parker.
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