Appeal No. 1999-2568
Application No. 08/640,096
In response, appellants argue (reply brief, page 2) that:
With respect to claim 6, the Examiner questions,
“what is the threshold lower than?” The answer is,
of course, lower than the high threshold voltage,
and is represented as VIL 50 in Figures 1 and 3.
The Examiner further questions, “what determines a
terminal voltage?” Terminal voltage is VTT, which
is determined by the power supply to the bus and any
associated voltage regulator. This would be clearly
understood by anyone of ordinary skill in the art,
and appears as Reference numeral 1 in Figure 2.
Although claim 6 is not a model of clarity, we do, however,
agree with the appellants that the skilled artisan would
understand the metes and bounds of this claim when it is read
in light of the disclosure, and particularly Figures 2 and 3.
In Figure 3b, for example, any voltage below low threshold
voltage line 50 is a “voltage below a lower threshold
voltage.” We likewise agree with appellants that the
“terminal voltage” in this same figure is VTT. In light of
our agreement with appellants’ arguments, the indefiniteness
rejection of claim 6 is reversed.
Turning next to the lack of enablement rejection, the
examiner is of the opinion (answer, page 3) that “the
specification does not provide any description or drawings on
how the drivers 6 and 7 are modified to allow slowing a rise
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