Appeal 2006-2913
Application 10/072,402
maleates, methacrylamides, vinyl esters, methallylics and itaconates having
an amine or amide functionality,
wherein the graft copolymer is pH triggerable.
24. The graft copolymer of claim 23 wherein the non-polymeric surfactant
is an alcohol ethoxylate.
The Examiner relies upon the following references in the rejections of the
appealed claims:
Arfaei US 4,960,465 Oct. 2, 1990
Rodrigues US 6,291,594 Sep. 18, 2001
Appellant’s claimed invention is directed to a graft copolymer having a
hydrophobic backbone and an amine or amide moiety grafted onto the backbone.
The backbone is selected from the group consisting of natural polymers, linear
hydrocarbons, branched hydrocarbons, and non-polymeric surfactants.
Appealed claims 7-12, 21, 23, and 24 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C.
§ 102(b) as being anticipated by Arfaei. Claims 13, 15-20 and 22 stand rejected
under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a) as being unpatentable over Arfaei. Claims 7-13 and 15-
25 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a) as being unpatentable over Rodrigues.
Appellant, with the exception of claim 24, has not advanced an argument in
the principal Brief that is reasonably specific to particular claims on appeal.
Accordingly, with the noted exception to claim 24, the claims rejected under
Section 102 stand or fall together, as do the claims rejected separately under
Section 103.
We consider first the Examiner’s rejection of claims 7-12, 21, 23 and 24
under Section 102 over Arfaei. We concur with the Examiner that Arfaei describes
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