Appeal No. 2007-0412 Page 5
Application No. 10/195,609
1 recite Kawabata System properties whereas these properties are not explicitly
2 mentioned in either Willbanks ‘952 or Willbanks ‘733:
3 [B]oth Willbanks references teach the presently claimed invention
4 with the exception of the recited Kawabata System properties and the nap
5 index.
6
7 Answer, p. 4.
8 12. Appellants do not seem to question the accuracy of the examiner’s
9 characterization of the difference between the claimed subject matter and
10 Willbanks ‘952 and Willbanks ‘733.
11 13. Kawabata System properties are a measure of a fabric’s “hand” (e.g.,
12 smoothness, fullness, stiffness, softness, flexibility, and crispness). According to
13 the specification, the “hand” of a textile fabric relates to its aesthetic properties.
14 In an effort to quantify further some of the aesthetic advantages of the
15 instant invention, selected measurements were made using the Kawabata
16 Evaluation System (“Kawabata System”). The Kawabata System was
17 developed … as a scientific means to measure, in an objective and
18 reproducible way, the “hand” of textile fabrics. This is achieved by
19 measuring basic mechanical properties that have been correlated with
20 aesthetic properties relating to hand (e.g., smoothness, fullness, stiffness,
21 softness, flexibility, and crispness), using a set of four highly specialized
22 measuring devices that were developed specifically for use with the
23 Kawabata System. ….
24 ….
25 The mechanical properties that have been associated with these aesthetic
26 properties can be grouped into five basic categories for purposes of
27 Kawabata analysis: bending properties, surface properties (friction and
28 roughness), compression properties, shearing properties, and tensile
29 properties. Each of these categories, in turn, is comprised of a group of
30 related properties that can be separately measured.
31
32 Specification, pp. 17-18.
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