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UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

United States Patent and Trademark Office

Address: COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS

P.O. Box 1450

Alexandria, Virginia 22313-1450

www.uspto.gov

APPLICATION NO. FILING DATE FIRST NAMED INVENTOR ATTORNEY DOCKET NO. CONFIRMATION NO.

15/682,146 08/21/2017 Luke Haverhals 22248-016 7875

23427 7590 04/11/2024

Randall Danskin, PS

601 West 1st. Ave.

Suite 800

Spokane, WA 99201

EXAMINER

KUMAR, PREETI

ART UNIT PAPER NUMBER

1761

NOTIFICATION DATE DELIVERY MODE

04/11/2024 ELECTRONIC

Please find below and/or attached an Office communication concerning this application or proceeding.

The time period for reply, if any, is set in the attached communication.

Notice of the Office communication was sent electronically on above-indicated "Notification Date" to the

following e-mail address(es):

ip@randalldanskin.com

mac@randalldanskin.com

PTOL-90A (Rev. 04/07)

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Appeal 2024-000215

Application 15/682,146

2

yarn with improved tensile strength. Spec. ¶¶ 35–36. Claim 1 is reproduced

below from page 13 (Claims Appendix) of the Appeal Brief:

1. A method of improving the mechanical properties of cotton yarn,

the method comprising:

providing a predetermined quantity of cotton yarn as a

continuous strand;

partially dissolving said cotton yarn by pulling said continuous

strand of cotton yarn through a first bath of aqueous alkaline

solvent at a predetermined rate for a predetermined period of

time and, thereby, producing a partially-dissolved, continuous

strand of cotton yarn while maintaining yarn composition, said

first bath of aqueous alkaline solvent having a predetermined

temperature;

pulling said partially-dissolved, continuous strand of cotton yarn

through a water bath at a predetermined rate such that said

partially-dissolved, continuous strand of cotton yarn is rinsed in

said water bath for a predetermined period of time; and

drying said partially-dissolved and rinsed, continuous strand of

cotton yarn, wherein the dried, partially-dissolved and rinsed,

continuous strand of cotton yarn has increased tensile strength

compared to the untreated cotton yarn.

REJECTIONS ON APPEAL

No. Claims Rejected 35 U.S.C. § References

1 1, 3–5, 7, 8 103 Bird2

2 2, 6, 9–13, 17–23 103 Bird, Isogai3

2 US 2,111,486, issued March 15, 1938.

3 US 5,410,034, issued Apr. 25, 1995.