Appeal No. 2006-2387 Page 3
Application No. 10/304,514
(e.g., a benzotriazole; specification, page 9, line 23); and an unsaturated alkyl
substituted with aromatic or non-aromatic cyclic groups (e.g., cinnamic acid;
specification, page 11, line 17).
Claim 9 also recites several components that are “optionally, but preferably,”
included in the claimed composition. Since they are optional, none of these
components are required in the claimed composition.
2. Obviousness
The examiner rejected claims 1-26 under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as obvious in view of
Ferrier1 and Arimura.2 The examiner relied on Ferrier for its disclosure of a composition
comprising “an oxidizer preferably hydrogen peroxide . . . , an inorganic acid such as
sulfuric acid . . . , [and] a corrosion inhibitor preferably benzotriazole.” Examiner’s
Answer, page 3. The examiner acknowledged that “Ferrier does not explicitly teach the
claimed unsaturated alkyl substituted with aromatic or non-aromatic cyclic groups.” Id.
For this limitation, the examiner relied on Arimura:
Arimura teaches a process for increasing the adhesion of a polymeric
material to a metal surface (abstract) by applying a[n] adhesion promoting
composition comprising organic acids such as cinnamic acid in order to
provide pH adjustment and dissolution of copper produced by oxidation
with cupric complex of an azole compound (col. 2 lines 52-64).
Id. The examiner concluded that it would have been obvious to “incorporate[ ] the
cinnamic acid of Arimura into the adhesion promoting composition of Ferrier in order to
better adjust the pH of the composition and better dissolve copper produced by oxidation
with cupric complex of an azole compound as taught by Arimura.” Id., pages 3-4.
1 Ferrier, U.S. Patent 6,146,701, issued Nov. 14, 2000
2 Arimura et al., U.S. Patent 5,532,094, issued July 2, 1996
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