Appeal 2007-0074
Application 10/758,381
parameters of the deposition gun which may be controlled” (Br. 5, ¶ 3).
Appellants urge that “[t]he ‘sensors’ are described in para. [0028] of Moore,
and include sensors of parameters of the coating itself, such as visual image,
electrical properties of the coating, distance between the spray gun and the
coating, temperature of the coating/substrate, and coating thickness” (id.).
Appellants contend that “Moore never suggests measuring gas flow rates,
powder flow rates, and cooling capacity of the deposition gun, and then
controlling the deposition gun responsive to those measurements” (id.).
We totally reject Appellants’ argument as not being in keeping with
the entirety of the Moore disclosure as it would be understood by one of
ordinary skill in the art. Certainly, paragraph [0028] of Moore discusses
“some embodiments” for measuring interior surface 30 of the pipe 11 and
the coating thereon. However, as emphasized by the Examiner, Moore is not
limited to this embodiment or teaching. Manifestly, the disclosure in
paragraphs [0032], [0033], and [0034] clearly teaches the control of the flow
rates for the fuel, oxidizer, and powder, as well as the coolant, and utilizing
controller 15 to use the measurements of the flow rates to provide automatic
feedback control of the rates. In particular, paragraph [0033] provides the
disclosure that “[o]perational aspects of the coating process, such as the flow
rate of gases and powder to the spray gun 14, the flow rates of coolant fluid
through the cooling systems, initiation of the arc with a plasma spray gun 14
and others may be controlled to produce a uniform coating with desired
characteristics.” Also, paragraph [0034] provides “[c]ontrollers 15 may
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