Ex Parte STARK et al - Page 6




          Appeal No. 2002-2317                                                        
          Application No. 09/025,607                                                  


               A term appearing in a preamble is limiting when it is found            
          to be required to confer meaning on the claim.  See Phillips                
          Petroleum Co. v. Huntsman Polymers Corp., 157 F.3d 866, 872,                
          48 USPQ2d 1161, 1166 (Fed. Cir. 1998).  “If the claim preamble,             
          when read in the context of the entire claim, recites limitations           
          of the claim, or, if the claim preamble is ‘necessary to give               
          life, meaning, and vitality’ to the claim, then the claim                   
          preamble should be construed as if in the balance of the claim.”            
          Pitney Bowes Inc. v. Hewlett-Packard Co., 182 F.3d 1298, 1305,              
          51 USPQ2d 1161, 1165 (Fed. Cir. 1999) (quoting Kropa v. Robie,              
          187 F.2d 150, 152, 88 USPQ 478, 480-81 (CCPA 1951).  That is,               
          “the preamble may be limiting ‘when the claim drafter chooses to            
          use both the preamble and the body to define the subject matter             
          of the claimed invention.’”  Allen Engineering Corp. v. Bartell             
          Industries Inc., 299 F.3d 1336, 1346, 63 USPQ2d 1769, 1774 (Fed.            
          Cir. 2002) (quoting Bell Communications Research, Inc. v.                   
          Vitalink Communications Corp., 55 F.3d 615, 620, 34 USPQ2d 1816,            
          1820 (Fed. Cir. 1995).  “If, however, the body of the claim fully           
          and intrinsically sets forth the complete invention, including              





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