Appeal No. 2006-0594
Application No. 09/740,708
molten metallic material, cleaning the alloy to remove the
metallic material thereon, heating the alloy in an oxygen-bearing
atmosphere at elevated superambient temperature to form a surface
oxide thereon, and re-contacting the alloy having the surface
film thereon with the molten metallic material.
The examiner relies upon the following references as
evidence of obviousness:
Nazmy et al. (Nazmy) 5,286,443 Feb. 14, 1994
Chandley et al. (Chandley) 6,283,195 B1 Sep. 4, 2001
(filed Feb. 2, 1999)
Choudhury et al. (Choudhury) 6,443,212 B1 Sep. 3, 2002
(filed Oct. 1, 1999)
Chandley et al. (WO '973) WO 00/45973 Aug. 10, 2000
(PCT International Application)
Appellants' claimed invention is directed to a method of
increasing the service life of a titanium aluminide alloy while
it is in contact with a molten material comprising aluminum. One
method involves including a rare earth element in the titanium
aluminide alloy (independent claims 10 and 21), and another
method entails heating the alloy in an oxygen-bearing atmosphere
to form a surface oxide thereon (claim 16).
Appealed claims 10-15 and 21-24 stand rejected under
35 U.S.C. § 103(a) as being unpatentable over WO '973 in view of
Nazmy. Claims 16-20 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a) as
being unpatentable over the stated combination of references
further in view of Choudhury. In addition, claims 10-15 and
21-24 stand rejected under the judicially created doctrine of
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