Appeal No. 2005-2077
Application No. 10/046,564
BACKGROUND
The present invention relates to a micro-fabricated chromatographic system including
an apparatus for transporting fluid through a fluid inlet, a separation channel and through a
fluid outlet in order to implement a chromatographic analysis of the fluid. (Brief, page 3).
Representative claim 1, as presented in the appendix to the Brief, appears below:
1. A micro-fabricated chromatographic system, said system comprising:
a transport channel including at least one fluid inlet and a separation channel; and
an evaporator including at least one evaporator channel arranged to receive fluid, each
evaporator channel having at least one open fluid outlet operable to evaporate fluid at the at
least one fluid outlet so as to cause the flow of fluid through the transport channel.
The Examiner cited the following references in rejecting the appealed claims:
Overton US 6,068,684 May 30, 2000
Sutton et al. (Sutton) US 6,103,112 Aug. 15, 2000
Zare et al. (Zare) US 6,136,187 Oct. 24, 2000
Hatch US 6,238,565 May 29, 2001
Henderson et al. (Henderson) US 6,258,263 July 10, 2001
Miyazaki (EPA) EP 0 568 024 A2 Nov. 3, 1993
The Examiner entered the following rejections (Answer, pages 3-6):
Claims 1, 5, and 7-19 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a) as obvious over
Henderson in view of Miyazaki.
Claims 3 and 4 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a) over Henderson in view of
Miyazaki and further in view of Zare.
Claim 6 stands rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a) as obvious over Henderson in view
of Miyazaki and further in view of Sutton or Overton.
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