Appeal 2007-0364
Application 09/998,661
packaging of the chips in a stacked arrangement (Br. 2).1 Independent claim
1 is illustrative of the invention and is reproduced below:
1. A method of making triangular tortilla chips in a manner which
facilitates subsequent packaging in a stacked arrangement, said method
comprising:
cutting triangular tortilla chip preforms from a sheet of masa;
enclosing the tortilla chip preforms in molds with a consistent
orientation;
restraining the tortilla chip preforms within said molds while cooking
the tortilla chip preforms in a cooking medium, thereby substantially
maintaining the orientation of the tortilla chip preforms while they are being
cooked; and then
removing cooked tortilla chips from said molds while substantially
maintaining the orientation of the tortilla chip preforms;
wherein said consistent orientation comprises an alternating pattern of
tortilla chip preforms with base edges and apex corners of successive tortilla
chip preforms within the molds alternating orientation, whereby said tortilla
chip preforms can be placed relatively compactly and close together within
said molds so as to minimize space therebetween.
The Examiner has relied upon the following references as evidence of
obviousness:
MacKendrick US 3,520,248 Jul. 14, 1970
Hilton US 4,052,838 Oct. 11, 1977
Wisdom US 4,122,198 Oct. 24, 1978
Khalsa US 5,298,274 Mar. 29, 1994
1 We refer to and cite from “Appellants’ Substitute Brief on Appeal under
37 C.F.R. § 41.37” dated June 9, 2005.
2
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