Appeal No. 2006-0269
Application No. 10/166,154
spunlace process produces a relatively soft, flexible and strong nonwoven web” Col. 2,
lines 13-15, and that “historically various types of nonwoven webs have been utilized for
use as disposable wet wipes.” Col. 1, lines 40-41. Thaman discloses, “[t]he
conventional base starting material for the majority of these non-woven fabrics is usually
a fibrous web comprising any of the common textile-length fibers.” Col. 2, lines 65-68.
According to Thaman, preferred nonwoven cloth substrates …are filamentous products
having a web or carded fiber structure,” Col. 3, lines 61-63, and “preferred
compositions are dual texture laminated non-wovens (or highly textured) nonwoven
laminated to a smoother nonwoven.” Col. 4, lines 10-13. According to Thaman,
“[m]ore preferred compositions … are dual textured pads comprising a high loft carded
nonwoven fabric resin bonded to an airlaid nonwoven.” Col. 4, lines 23-25.
We agree with the examiner that “[g]iven the general suggestion in Farrell that
the cleansing pouch may comprise both smooth and abrasive non-woven sheets for
effective rubbing and cleansing, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in
the art at the time the invention was made to have looked to the prior arts such as
Brennan for soft and abrasive non-woven sheets used in the personal care art.”
Answer, page 5.
We also agree with the examiner’s conclusion that, based on the evidence of
record, “it would have also been obvious to the skilled artisan to have modified the
article of the combined references by substituting the non-woven material with the high
loft carded nonwoven material as motivated by Thaman because of an expectation of
successfully producing a dual-textured cleansing article with good cleansing ability and
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