Appeal 2007-1765
Application 10/215,276
supplying the thermoplastic material to the modeling machine
in a cassette that is removably loadable to the modeling
machine, wherein the thermoplastic material is
maintained at less than 700 ppm moisture.
In addition to the admitted prior art found in Appellants’
Specification, the Examiner relies upon the following reference as evidence
of obviousness:
Dahlin US 6,022,207 Feb. 8, 2000
Appellants’ claimed invention is directed to a method of building a
three-dimensional model with a modeling machine that deposits a moisture-
sensitive thermoplastic material. The method involves supplying the
thermoplastic material to the machine in a cassette that is removably
loadable in the machine. According to Appellants, “the cassette keeps the
thermoplastic material dry while the cassette is loaded to the modeling
machine and subsequently when the cassette is removed from the modeling
machine and stored” (principal Br. 3, first para.).
Appealed claims 1-20 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a) as
being unpatentable over Dahlin in view of the admitted prior art.
With the exception of independent claim 4, Appellants do not set forth
separate, substantive arguments for any particular claim on appeal.
Accordingly, with the noted exception, all the appealed claims stand or fall
together with claim 1.
We have thoroughly reviewed each of Appellants’ arguments for
patentability. However, we concur with the Examiner’s legal conclusion
that the claimed subject matter would have been obvious to one of ordinary
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