Ex Parte Geisow et al - Page 12

               Appeal 2006-3072                                                                            
               Application 10/419,763                                                                      

               col. 5, l. 34, and col. 6, l. 16, to col. 9, l. 37).  The surface of the first              
               substrate can comprise, inter alia, a polyimide or aromatic polyamide film                  
               selectively subjected to a uniaxial aligning treatment as an alignment control              
               layer, and the second substrate can comprise, inter alia, a polyimide not                   
               subjected to uniaxial alignment, a silane coupling agent, or a fluorine-                    
               containing resin as alignment control layer, wherein the surface energy of                  
               the first alignment control layer is greater than the surface energy of the                 
               second alignment control layer (id., e.g., col. 3, ll. 19-22; col. 5, ll. 35-43;            
               col. 9, l. 38, to col. 13, l. 36; col. 14, ll. 27-54; col. 14, l. 66, to col. 15, l. 10;    
               Fig. 1; and Example 1).  We find Nakamura teaches that in this arrangement                  
               of elements, the alignment defects encountered with the perfluoroether                      
               terminal chain containing liquid crystal material can be suppressed to a                    
               negligible level and a uniform, homogeneous alignment if, in addition to                    
               difference in the surface energies of the first and second alignment control                
               layers on the respective opposed cell walls, the surface energy of an ordinary              
               perfluoroether terminal chain containing liquid crystal material is less than               
               the surface energy of an alignment control film (id., e.g., col. 5,      l. 35, to          
               col. 6, l. 4; col. 13, ll. 12-33; and Example 1).  Nakamura further teaches that            
               if the surface energy of an ordinary perfluoroether terminal chain containing               
               liquid crystal material is greater than the surface energy of an alignment                  
               control film a homeotropic alignment develops, and that the surface energy                  
               of perfluoroether terminal chain containing liquid crystal material is less                 
               than that of a fluorine-free liquid crystal material (id., e.g., col. 13, ll. 26-29).       
                      We find Martinot-Lagarde would have acknowledged “[i]t is well                       
               known to the person skilled in the art that molecules of nematic phases                     


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