Appeal No. 1999-0578
Application 08/217,641
interpretation. We have been unable to find the
interpretation asserted by appellants to be specifically set
forth anywhere in the disclosure. Therefore, the phrase
should be given a conventional interpretation. Thus, we agree
with the examiner that the phrase does not require that the
intermediate state be stable as argued by appellants. In
fact, none of the states recited in claim 1 is required to be
stable. Appellants could always amend the claim so that it
clearly requires the argued interpretation.
The liquid crystal molecules in Fukushima have one
uniform orientation in the OFF state [Figure 22(A)] and a
second uniform orientation in the ON state [Figure 22(C)].
When the charge applied in Fukushima is insufficient to hold
the molecules in the ON state, they return to the OFF state.
Thus, at any point in time during the intermediate state (that
is a charge insufficient to hold the molecules in an ON
state), all the molecules will have a uniform orientation
which is between the orientations of the ON state and the OFF
state as they return to the OFF state. Although the
orientation of the molecules is constantly changing in
Fukushima during the intermediate state, this constitutes a
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