Appeal No. 2005-1988
Application No. 09/822,651
VI. The 35 U.S.C. § 103 rejection of claims 40, 42-48, 50-53,
55, 56, and 58-70, as being obvious over Wessels in view of
Allen
Beginning on page 21 of the brief, appellants argue that
Wessels does not teach the aspect of claims 40 and 48 wherein the
polymeric regions are fused to a first major side of the web.
Appellants also argue that the same argument applies equally to
independent claim 56, and its dependent claims 58-70. Brief,
pages 21-22. We are not convinced by this argument for the
reasons discussed, supra, regarding the anticipation rejection
over Wessels.
Beginning on page 22 of the brief, appellants argue that
claim 56 also recites that the polymer of the at least one
discrete polymeric region is entangled with a fibrous surface of
the nonwoven web. Appellants argue that the examiner has not
identified such a teaching in either Wessels or Allen.
In response, beginning on page 11 of the answer, the
examiner states that Wessels discloses a mechanical fastener for
use in diapers (column 2, line 4), formed from a web construction
comprising a substrate sheet (web) of a coarse woven or knit
(elastic) structure having pores large enough to pass molten
resin material throughout its entire area, and the hook and loop
elements existing mixedly on the one surface of the substrate
sheet as a plurality of strips, and refers to Fig. 4E and column
3, lines 24-37 of Wessels. On page 12 of the answer, the
-18-
Page: Previous 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Next
Last modified: November 3, 2007