Appeal No. 2006-0533
Application 09/838,420
recited to be one or a plurality of cells of the identified
spreadsheet in the preamble. The “table” is not stated to be in
a memory of the computer system. There is only at most an
inferential statement of managing the Boolean variables. The
nature of the meaning of the word “managed” is not defined as is
the word “defining” itself. Likewise, the broad use of the word
“referencing” in the body of the claim has no operative
relationship or has a questionable scope as to the meaning of the
term. Significantly, the words “can be set” are not a positive
statement of anything and appear to relate only to a future act
that may or may not ever occur. Additionally, the fact, as
recited, that the variables “can be set” as true or false does
not recite accurately all conditions, which include, as claimed,
the condition of the absence of a true and false setting being
set; neither being set is also a condition. Additionally, the
scope of meaning of the word “impact” is not determinable as
well. Overall, it may be fairly stated that the metes and bounds
of independent claim 1 on appeal cannot reasonably be determined.
When we turn to the dependent claims, the claimed “the
status value” of dependent claim 3 is not initially recited in
parent independent claim 1 from which it depends. The same may
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