Appeal 2007-3994
Application 10/072,906
reactor, by contacting an assembly of sheets in the housing and the housing
with a bonding material applied across the sheet assembly and the housing,
heating the bonding material by, among other things, welding, thus
simultaneously fixing the sheets in the assembly to each other and to the
housing (Matsumoto, e.g., col. 2, ll. 33-46, col. 3, ll. 42-59, and Fig. 1).
We find Kono would have disclosed to one of ordinary skill in this art
a method of fixing corrugated and flat sheets to each other to any extent and
to at least a part of the jacket, that is, housing, to any extent in forming a
metal reactor, by forming an assembly of the sheets, inserting the assembly
into the housing and joining the sheets to each other and to the housing,
using, among other things, resistance welding, thus simultaneously fixing
the sheets in the assembly to each other and to the jacket (Kono, e.g., col. 5,
ll. 55-62, col. 7, ll. 13-15, Figs. 1 and 2, and Embodiment 1).
We determine the combined teachings of Usui and Kono, of
Matsumoto and Kono, and of Usui, Matsumoto, Kono, Chapman, and
Cairns, the scope of which the Examiner has determined and we made
additional findings from above, provide convincing evidence supporting the
Examiner’s case that the claimed invention encompassed by claim 27, as we
interpreted this claim above, would have been prima facie obvious to one of
ordinary skill in the metal reactor arts familiar with forming metal reactors.
We agree with the Examiner’s position in stating the grounds of rejection
and in responding to Appellants’ arguments, to which we add the following
for emphasis. We agree with the Examiner (Answer 3, 4, 7, and 9-10) that,
contrary to Appellants’ position (Br. 3-4 and 5-6), one of ordinary skill in
this art following the teachings of Usui and of Matsumoto would have
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