Appeal No. 2005-2330
Application No. 10/026,123
As acknowledged by the appellants’(Brief, page 12), Schmitz
teaches (column 1, line 43 to column 2, line 1) that:
The method according to the invention comprises
the steps of:
transporting the web in a substantially flattened
position on a transport means along a transport
trajectory;
cutting the web along a second transverse edge to
form a two-dimensional pre-form, the pre-form
comprising the first and the second transverse edge of
the web and two longitudinal edges, each longitudinal
edge having two waist sections and a crotch section
located intermediate the waist sections, a sealing area
being located adjacent and inboard of each waist
section;
gripping the pre-form adjacent each waist section
with gripping means in four gripping areas, the
gripping areas being located near each sealing area;
jointly rotating at least the gripping means which
hold the gripping areas in the region of the first
transverse edge around a first axis of rotation
extending substantially parallel to the transverse
edges of the pre-form to place the first transverse
edge generally parallel and opposite to the second
transverse edge;
superimposing the sealing areas which are located
along the same longitudinal side in a contacting
relationship;
joining the superimposed sealing areas in a
sealing means, thus forming the absorbent article, and
releasing the absorbent article from the gripping
means.
With respect to claim 1, the question here is whether one of
ordinary skill in the art would have been led to “preconditioning
the web to include at least four refastening surfaces” on the
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