Appeal No. 2006-0446
Application No. 09/778,103
directing the exhaust gas from an internal combustion
engine through the catalyst for purifying the exhaust gas so
as to reduce nitrogen oxides in the exhaust gas.
The examiner relies upon the following references as
evidence of obviousness:
Lauder 4,049,583 Sep. 20, 1977
Nakatsuji et al. EP 0 624 393 A1 Nov. 17, 1994
(Published European Patent Office Application)
Shigeru et al. (Shigeru) 07-080315 Mar. 28, 1995
(Published Japanese Patent application)
Appellants’ claimed invention is directed to a process for
purifying exhaust gas. The process entails directing the exhaust
gas through a catalyst comprising iridium, a rare earth metal
oxide, sulfur and at least one element selected from the group
consisting of calcium, strontium and barium.
Appealed claims 18-23 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C.
§ 103(a) as being unpatentable over Lauder in view of Shigeru.
We have thoroughly reviewed each of appellants’ arguments
for patentability. However, we are in complete agreement with
the examiner that the claimed subject matter would have been
obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art within the meaning of
Section 103 in view of the applied prior art. Since we fully
concur with the examiner’s reasoning and application of the prior
art, as well as her cogent disposition of the arguments raised by
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