Ex Parte RUSSO et al - Page 21

              Appeals 2006-2874 and 2006-2747                                                        
              Applications 08/544,212 and 09/287,664                                                 
              Patent 5,401,305                                                                       
          1                              Appellants' position                                        
          2         Appellants maintain that there is no "motivation" to use a metal oxide           
          3   in combination with the silicon oxide of Lagendijk.  Appeal Brief, page 6              
          4   (Appeal 2006-2747).                                                                    
          5         Appellants further maintain that Gordon '316 “teaches the                        
          6   undesirability of water, cautioning against it in example 2, which … [is said          
          7   to show that] water causes an undesirable reaction with an organoaluminum              
          8   compound, e.g., (aluminum-2,4-pentanedionate).”  Id.                                   
          9         Appellants still further maintain that “[t]he adverse results with water         
         10   would suggest to a skilled artisan that disclosure of ancillary compounds in           
         11   CVD coating processes in this art would not carry the implication that they            
         12   would benefit any coating process, but rather, each candidate for evaluation           
         13   as an adjuvant would require separate testing before they [sic—one having              
         14   ordinary skill in the art] could draw any conclusion about its [i.e., the              
         15   candidate's] suitability in the process.”  Id. at pages 6-7.  Arguably                 
         16   consistent with Appellants' position is the following statement in the patent          
         17   (col. 3, line 65 through col. 4, line 2):                                              
         18                     From a review of the prior art, it cannot be                         
         19               determined what precursor combinations, if any,                            
         20               can be used for continuous deposition, under                               
         21               conditions and at a rate suitable for mass                                 
         22               production, of mixed metal oxides/silicon oxide                            
         23               films at adequate rates from readily available and                         
         24               relatively inexpensive reagents.                                           
         25                                                                                          
         26         Appellants lastly maintain that they are using unobvious starting                
         27   materials in their claimed process and therefore the obviousness issue is              



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