Appeal 2007-0407
Application 10/243,796
Waldrop does not teach employing a resin distribution plate position
between the mold tool and the fiber preform as required by independent
claims 1, 16, and 31 (Answer 6-10).
To remedy this deficiency, the Examiner has referred to the
disclosures of Palmer.1 The Examiner has found that Palmer teaches a
vacuum resonant fusion molding process that includes a resin distribution
plate (id). It appears to be the Examiner’s position that these findings would
have led one of ordinary skill in the art to place a resin distribution plate
position between the mold tool and the fiber preform in the process of
Waldrop (Answer 7). The Appellants do not agree with this position (Br. 5-
13).
The dispositive question is, therefore, whether the Examiner has
demonstrated that a person having ordinary skill in the art would have been
led to place a resin distribution plate position between the mold tool and the
fiber preform in the process of Waldrop within the meaning of 35 U.S.C.
§ 103. On this record, we answer this question in the negative.
Waldrop describes a vacuum assisted resin transfer molding process
(Waldrop 0032). Waldrop discloses that the resin is infused into the
molding preform by using vacuum pressure that causes the resin to travel
from one side of the preform to the opposite side where excess resin is
recovered (see Figure 1 and Waldrop 0188-0191). The Examiner has not
adequately explained how a resin distribution plate could have been
incorporated into the apparatus of Waldrop. The Examiner has not
1 The Examiner did not rely upon the teachings of McKague for remedying
the identified deficiency in the Waldrop reference.
5
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Next
Last modified: September 9, 2013