Appeal 2006-2293
Application 10/471,932
Kent does not discuss the relative heat capacities of the aluminum fin
and the zinc coating layer. Further, Kent does not provide sufficient
information for one of ordinary skill in the art to determine the relative heat
capacities of the aluminum fin and the zinc coating layer.
Siak
Siak discloses a biocidal coated air conditioning evaporator. The
evaporator includes aluminum fins 12 and sheet metal, aluminum plates 14
(Siak, col. 2, ll. 16-21). In Siak, a coating of zinc, followed by a coating of
copper, is deposited onto the exterior surface of the evaporator to inhibit
microbial growth. Siak expressly labels the coating (30, 32, 34) in Fig. 2 on
plates 14, but it is not entirely clear whether the coating is also on the fins
12. (see Siak, col. 2, ll. 43-50; Fig. 2). Although not labelled, Fig. 2
illustrates a similar two-layer coating on fins 12 and common sense would
dictate that, since they are contacted by the air to be cooled, they are also
coated with the zinc-copper layer. The zinc layer facilitates immersion
deposition of copper and promotes adhesion of the copper plate. According
to Siak, the presence of zinc may also protect the underlying aluminum from
corrosion. (Siak, col. 1, ll. 44-54.) Otherwise stated, "[t]he intermediate
zinc may also provide a sacrificial barrier to protect the underlying
aluminum from corrosion that might otherwise be accelerated by the
proximity to copper" (Siak, col. 3, ll. 41-44). Siak discloses that typically
zinc layers up to about 0.6 microns are formed and provide a suitable surface
for the deposition of copper (Siak, col. 3, ll. 49-52).
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