Appeal No. 2000-2009
Application No. 08/832,430
methods to perform operations.” Id. The above-noted technical dictionary also defines
encapsulation, in reference to object-oriented programming, as the grouping of data
and the code that manipulates it into a single entity or object. Encapsulation refers to
the hiding of most of the details of the object, and both attributes (data structure) and
the methods (procedures) are hidden.
Apparently, the examiner has not interpreted the instant claims with due regard
to the artisan’s understanding of the terms. For example, the statement of the rejection
(Answer at 3) appears to equate the claimed “LobbySession object” with a “message”
that is sent in the procedural programming system of Grimm. However, in view of the
artisan’s understanding of an “object,” a simple message (i.e., data) transferred in a
system falls short of the claim term. The rejection also suggests (id.) that a general, or
informal, definition of “encapsulate” has been attributed to the instant claims -- i.e.,
interpreting “encapsulated” as meaning simply “contained within.”
We also agree with appellants that the rejection is unclear with respect to which
features of the reference are deemed to correspond to the various claim terms. For
example, the rejection seems to equate the “LobbySession object” with a “message”
(Answer at 3), with a “game offer record” (id. at 4), and with a “client” (id. at 6).2
Moreover, based on our understanding of the technical definition of “object,” the artisan
2 The “game offer record” might also be deemed a GameSession object; e.g., Answer at 7.
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