Appeal No. 2003-1227
Application No. 09/049,161
quoted from Microsoft Bookshelf Basics dictionary).
Appellants refer to Webster’s New World Dictionary, Second
College edition, p. vii (1982). While not quoting a definition
from that source, appellants indicate that the source defines
“attitude” as something “unlike position or orientation” (reply
brief-page 4), with position referring to location of a vehicle
and orientation referring to the heading of a vehicle.
Appellants contend that “attitude” is a description of a
vehicle’s or structure’s “alignment in three-dimensional (or
other dimensional) space, with respect to a given plane or other
reference” (appeal brief-page 4).
Since the instant specification does not specifically define
what is meant by “attitude,” we are left without a specific
meaning to ascribe to the claimed term. The examiner’s
definition of a position of a body does not seem appropriate
since appellants use this term in addition to “position.” The
examiner’s definition of a “manner of carrying oneself” does not
seem technical enough for our use. The claims are directed to
positioning a structure, not a human body. Thus, we are left
with appellants’ interpretation of “attitude” as being a
description of a structure’s “alignment in three-
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