Appeal No. 2006-1850
Application 10/039,103
Appellants’ specification page 6, lines 4 and 5 describes disclosed figure 2 as “a
view of the backside of the cube-corner retroreflective sheeting 10 FIG. 1.” Specification
page 7, line 18 also states that figure 2 “illustrates the back side of the cube-corner
elements 12.” Consistent with this discussion, we reproduce here the initial full
paragraph of specification page 8, lines 3 through 13 on which appellants’ Summary of
the Invention at page 2 of the principal brief on appeal relies for the quoted features
recited in each independent claim on appeal:
A specular reflective coating such as a metallic coating (not shown) can be
placed on the backside of the cube-corner elements 12 to promote retroreflection.
The metallic coating can be applied by known techniques such as vapor
depositing or chemically depositing a metal such as aluminum, silver or nickel. A
primer layer may be applied to the backside of the cube-corner elements to
promote the adherence of the metallic coating. In addition to or in lieu of a
metallic coating, a seal film can be applied to the backside of the cube-corner
elements; see, for example, U.S. Patents 4.025,159 and 5,117,304. The sealing
film maintains an air interface at the backside of the cubes to enhance
retroreflectivity. A backing or an adhesive layer also can be disposed behind the
cube-corner elements to enable the cube-corner retroreflective sheeting 10 to be
secured to a substrate.
This reproduced paragraph indicates that a reflective coating may be applied to
the backside of the cube corner elements to promote retroreflection in addition to a
primer layer that also may be applied to the backside to promote adherence of this
metallic coating. As reproduced in the previous paragraph, the specification goes on to
indicate that in addition to or in lieu of this metallic coating a seal film can be applied to
the backside of the cube-corner element. This sealing film is said to maintain an air
interface “at the backside” of the cubes to enhance retroreflectivity.
4
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Next
Last modified: November 3, 2007