Appeal No. 1998-0432 Page 7
Application No. 08/681,070
In this instance, the language "a generally cylindrical
inner body section with a smooth bore therethrough" appears in
original claims 1 and 4. In addition, the specification
states (page 6, lines 13-14) that the connector 10 "has a
cylindrical smooth surfaced inner body section 12." Figures 3
and 4 of the drawings depict the bore through the inner body
section 12 as having a substantially constant diameter from
end 40 to end 42. Lastly, the American Heritage Dictionary,
Second College Edition, (1982) defines "smooth" as "Having a
surface free from irregularities, roughness, or projections;
even."
In view of the above, we conclude that the broadest
reasonable meaning of the phrase "a generally cylindrical
inner body section with a smooth bore therethrough" as it
would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art is
that bore of the inner body section is generally cylindrical
and free from irregularities, roughness, or projections from
one end thereof to the opposite end thereof.
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