Appeal 2007-2018
Application 09/810,377
FEP “is a known equivalent plastic that is used with catheters provided with
varying amounts of radiopaque materials” and “is a material having more
lubricious properties which would allow for easier insertion” (id. at 3).
We conclude that the Examiner has set forth a prima facie case of
obviousness. Parker describes a “guiding catheter having a main tubular
portion and a soft tip” with “matching external and internal tapers for
increasing the contact area of the thermal bond” (Parker, col. 1, ll. 55-56,
and Abstract). “The main tubular portion includes a layered wall . . .
advantageously includ[ing] an inner material layer . . . and an outer material
layer” (id. at col. 1, ll. 61-67). The inner layer preferably comprises
polytetrafluoroethylene and the outer layer “preferably comprises polyether
block amide including by weight 10 to 30 percent radiopaque bismuth” (id.
at col. 2, ll. 24-33). The soft tip “comprises another polyether block amide
. . . and advantageously includes by weight 35 to 65 percent tungsten for
increasing the radiopacity of the soft tip” (id. at col. 2, ll. 34-40).
Coneys describes a catheter including an extruded tube of flexible
material comprising a plastic material, preferably polyfluorinated
ethylenepropylene, and “an integrally extruded radiopaque layer 14
completely embedded within and surrounded by the plastic material”
(Coneys, col. 3, ll. 16-32). “The radiopaque layer 14 comprises a blended
mixture of radiopaque material and a binder material,” which “may be the
same plastic material as the virgin or pure plastic material” that surrounds
the radiopaque layer (id. at col. 3, ll. 35-45). The radiopaque material may
be bismuth trioxide or tungsten powder (id. at col. 3, ll. 47-49).
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