Appeal No. 1999-2443 Page 6
Application No. 08/857,144
mechanical and electrical connection to a lighting track" is
not readable on the wires 27 of Mabrey.
In proceedings before the Patent and Trademark Office
(PTO), the PTO applies to the verbiage of the claims before it
the broadest reasonable meaning of the words in their ordinary
usage as they would be understood by one of ordinary skill in
the art, taking into account whatever enlightenment by way of
definitions or otherwise that may be afforded by the written
description contained in the appellants' specification. In re
Morris, 127 F.3d 1048, 1054, 44 USPQ2d 1023, 1027 (Fed. Cir.
1997). See also In re Sneed, 710 F.2d 1544, 1548, 218 USPQ
385, 388 (Fed. Cir. 1983). Furthermore, a technical term is
interpreted as having the meaning that it would be given by
persons experienced in the field of the invention, unless it
is apparent from the application and the prosecution history
that the inventor used the term with a different meaning. See
Hoechst Celanese Corp. v. BP Chemicals Ltd., 78 F.3d 1575,
1578, 38 USPQ2d 1126, 1129 (Fed. Cir. 1996).
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