Application of Patrick

189 F.2d 614, 38 C.C.P.A. 1105
CourtCourt of Customs and Patent Appeals
DecidedJune 26, 1951
DocketPatent Appeal 5760
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 189 F.2d 614 (Application of Patrick) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Customs and Patent Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Application of Patrick, 189 F.2d 614, 38 C.C.P.A. 1105 (ccpa 1951).

Opinions

JACKSON, Judge.

This is an appeal from a decision of the Board of Appeals of the United States Patent Office affirming that of the Primary Examiner finally rejecting all of the claims 16 to 23, inclusive, of an application for a patent, serial No. 549,811, filed August 16, 1944, alleging new and useful improvements “For Polythie Polyglycol Polybasic Acid Polymer.”

The claims read as follows:

“16. Process which comprises reacting an akaline polysulfide with a condensation product obtained by condensing an organic polycarboxylic acid with a glycol said glycol having a hydroxyl group attached to each of two different carbon atoms and also having, in addition to said carbon atoms and said hydroxyl groups, the structure -CH2 ssch2-.
[615]*615“17. Process which comprises mixing an aqueous solution of an alkaline poly-sulfide with an aqueous dispersion of a condensation product obtained by condensing an organic polycarboxylic acid with a glycol said glycol having a hydroxyl group attached to each of two different carbon atoms and also having, in addition to said carbon atoms and said hydroxyl groups, the structure -CH2SSCH2-, and heating said mixture to cause reaction of the alkaline polysulfide with the said condensation product.
“18. Process which comprises mixing an aqueous solution of an alkaline polysulfide with an aqueous dispersion of a condensation product obtained by condensing an organic polycarboxylic acid with a glycol having the formula OH(CH2)nSS(CH2)nOH where n varies from 2 to 20 and heating said mixture to cause reaction of the alkaline polysulfide with the said condensation product.
“19. Process which comprises mixing an aqueous solution of an alkaline polysul-fide with an aqueous dispersion of a condensation product obtained by condensing an organic polycarboxylic acid with a glycol having the formula OH CH2CH2SSCH2-CH2OH and heating said mixture to cause reaction of the alkaline polysulfide with the said condensation product.
“20. Product made according to the process of claim 16.
“21. Product made according to the process of claim 17.
“22. Product made according to the process of claim 18.
“23. Product made according to the process of claim 19.”

The application relates to polysulfide polymers characterized by recurring -SS-linkages in the chains thereof, each sul-phur atom of the linkages being bound firmly to adjacent carbon atoms.

The claims were rejected by the Primary Examiner as unpatentable because of undue breadth and indefiniteness, as well as for insufficient disclosure in the specification.

It may be noted that the claims are directed to process and product.

Counsel for appellant make no contention that any one claim possesses any limitation by which it may be patentably differentiated from any other claim and, therefore, all of the claims stand or fall together.

In the decision of the Board of Appeals it was pointed out that the original description and claims of the application related to the production of the esterification product of the polythic glycol and polycarboxylic acid and also the polysul-fide polymer resulting from after-treatment of such condensation product with an alkaline polysulfide.

All of the involved claims relate to the sulfide after-treatment and it is to that portion of the specification containing the description of the alleged invention said to be defined by the claims which we must look in order to make our decision. The only specific example of the process and product sought to be defined by the claims is as follows: “1. empirical molecular weight of the oil or product derived in the foregoing example is dispersed in water by any suitable means, e. g., by the use of a high speed agitator and a dispersion agent is necessary and the aqueous dispersion so obtained is treated with an equal molar ratio of, for example, sodium tetrasulfide and heated with agitation for a period of 1 how, after which the dispersion is allowed to settle and the supernatant liquid is withdrawn. The dispersion can be readily washed by repeating treatment with water with intermediate settling out of the insoluble dispersion. When sufficiently purified, the material is treated with acid which causes coagulation to a rubber-like mass.” (Italics supplied).

If any of the reasons for rejection by the tribunals below are found to be proper here, it will be unnecessary to discuss the other grounds.

Claim 19 was considered below as illustrative of the involved subject matter. It may be observed that the claim calls for a mixing of an aqueous solution of an alkaline polysulfide with an aqueous dispersion of an organic carboxylic acid with a glycol having the formula OH CH2CH2SSCH2-CH2OH and heating the mixture so that a [616]*616reaction is created of the alkaline poly-sulfide with the condensation product.

We find, as did the examiner and the board, that in both the claim and in the description of the alleged invention there is nothing to indicate what appellant means by the term “heating.” Therefore, the tribunals below held that the use of that term is indefinite in that no temperature nor range of temperatures is given in explanation of the term and, therefore, that the application fails to meet the statutory requirement providing for a full, clear, concise, and exact disclosure of the claimed invention.

It is contended that a worker skilled in the art is aware of what such temperature should be in order to constitute heating and that therefore such knowledge would be supplied 'by such worker and that a definite disclosure of a temperature or temperatures is not necessary. It is further contended that any heating between room, temperature and below the boiling point of water could be used. The board observed such a range to be a wide one and was of opinion that the requirements of R.S. § 4888, 35 U.S.C.A. § 33, would require a statement of a specific temperature or temperatures.

Subsequent to the decision of the board, a petition for reconsideration was filed by counsel for appellant. Together with such petition was an affidavit which was not accepted by the board. In its action on the petition the board found no reason to make any change in its former decision.

Several patents were listed but not set out in the petition and we are asked by counsel for appellant to take judicial notice of them because, it is stated, such notice would indicate to us that the reaction set out in the claims will occur at any common temperature and that therefore it was not necessary for appellant to make any specific disclosure thereof.

We are of opinion that the affidavit is not properly before us for consideration. In re Ayers, Í54 F.2d 182, 33 C.C.P.A., Patents, 874; In re Ripper, 171 F.2d 297, 36 C.C.P.A., Patents, 743.

We are further of opinion that we may not judicially notice specific patents under circumstances such as exist here. In re Stauber, 45 F.2d 661, 18 C.C.P.A., Patents, 774.

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Related

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341 F.2d 121 (Customs and Patent Appeals, 1965)
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194 F.2d 729 (Customs and Patent Appeals, 1952)
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189 F.2d 614 (Customs and Patent Appeals, 1951)
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188 F.2d 170 (Customs and Patent Appeals, 1951)

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Bluebook (online)
189 F.2d 614, 38 C.C.P.A. 1105, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/application-of-patrick-ccpa-1951.