Appeal No. 2005-1988
Application No. 09/822,651
that Thomas anticipates the claims in this regard.
Beginning on page 7 of the brief, appellants also argue that
Thomas does not disclose that the discrete polymeric regions are
“fused to a first major side” of the web.
Beginning on page 7 of appellants’ specification, at line
22, it is disclosed that Figure 5 shows a web 50 being
manufactured on an apparatus 51. The apparatus 51 is used to
make stems 52 on the web 50. The stems 52 are arranged in
discrete patches or regions 54. Apparatus 51 includes a source
53 of polymeric material. The source 53 preferably heats the
polymeric material to a melting point, and then deposits the
melted polymeric material on the web 50, as discrete portions 55.
In the embodiment shown, source 53 includes an extruder that
extrudes the polymeric material under pressure onto the
web 50. The discrete portions 55 move along the web 50 until
they come in contact with tool roll 56. Tool roll 56 has a
continuous cylindrical tooled surface 57 containing a
plurality of cavities configured to form the stems. These
cavities are optionally evacuated by an external vacuum source.
As the discrete portions 55 of polymeric material come in contact
with surface 57 of the cylindrical tool roll 56, the portions 55
are simultaneously pressed into the cavities and fused to the web
50. See appellants’ specification page 7, line 20 to page 8,
line 3.
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