Appeal No. 2006-2710
Application No. 10/458,114
2. OBVIOUSNESS
Claim 1 stands rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as obvious over
Neumann1 in view of Snyder.2 The Examiner states that, “[a]t best, the
claim differs from Neumann . . . in reciting use of a silane bonding agent.”
(Answer 3.) The Examiner argues that it “would have been obvious to use a
silane bonding agent in Neumann . . . because Snyder . . . discloses that
siloxanes are the most useful and most widely available bonded phase
chromatography packings and are hydrolytically stable.” (Id.)
In particular, the Examiner argues that Neumann “is not particular as
to how the dendrimer is bonded to the substrate. . . . A fair reading of . . .
Neumann . . . indicates that use of a triazine is one of many bonding
methods and Neumann . . . is not limited to triazine.” (Answer 3-4.) In
addition, the Examiner argues that Neumann “specifically indicates that the
dendrimer could be first formed and then bonded to the substrate or built on
the substrate itself.” (Answer 4 (citing Neumann, p. 4, l. 20, to p. 5, l. 4).)
Furthermore, the Examiner argues that Neumann discloses that “the
dendrimers are ‘functionalized by appropriate groups’ including ‘alkyl
having 1-20 C atoms.’ As such, Neumann[]’s dendrimers are disclosed to be
alkylated. Alkylating a polymelamine dendrimer forms an alkylated amine
functional macromolecule.” (Answer 4-5 (citing Neumann, p. 3, ll. 32-34,
and p. 9, claims 1-4).)
1 Neumann-Rodekirch et al., German Patent Publication No. DE 196 21 741
A1, published December 4, 1997. The citations are to the English-language
translation of record.
2 Snyder, Introduction to Modern Liquid Chromatography 272-275 (John
Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1979).
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