Appeal 2006-3072
Application 10/419,763
Thus, we determine, as does the Examiner, that this person would
have adjusted the surface energies and thus, the anchoring energies of the
interfacing alignment layers on the liquid crystal cell walls relative to the
liquid crystal layer to obtain and maintain the desired alignment of the liquid
crystal layer relative to the cell walls, with and without an applied field.
Indeed, Nakamura teaches that interfacing alignment layers with different
surface energies are used for this purpose with particular liquid crystal
material.
Walton also discloses that interfacing alignment layers are used for
this purpose for any manner of liquid crystal material. In this respect,
Walton teaches at least one interfacing alignment layer on one cell wall is
formed by polymerizing a mixture of two different polymerizable mesogenic
materials in a ratio selected to provide a predetermined alignment of the
liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer, and an interfacing
alignment layer on the other cell wall can be formed from the same
polymerizable mixture or from any other material which is taught therein or
known to form an interfacing alignment layer. Indeed, contrary to
Appellants’ contentions, the fact that Walton’s Examples 1-4 illustrate liquid
crystal cells wherein the interface alignment layers on the cell walls are the
same does not limit the teachings in the reference thereto in disregard of the
clear teachings therein that interfacing alignment layers can be different as
long as one is formed from the specified polymerizable mixture. See, e.g., In
re Lamberti, 545 F.2d 747, 750, 192 USPQ 278, 280 (CCPA 1976) (“[T]he
fact that a specific [embodiment] is taught to be preferred is not controlling,
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