Appeal 2007-0338
Application 09/870,223
elements are stored in the database, not the prompt itself). We recognize
that Osder ultimately assembles a voice prompt at runtime by stringing
together static and dynamic elements as Appellants indicate. See, e.g.,
Osder, Fig. 1. But such pre-recorded elements of a prompt are themselves
“voice prompts” giving the term its broadest reasonable interpretation.
For example, the static element E1000B is a pre-recorded voice
saying the phrase “NEW MESSAGES” (Osder, col. 1, ll. 44-48; Fig. 1).
This static element itself conveys content to the listener. In any event, the
broad scope of the term “voice prompt” simply does not preclude Osder’s
stored, pre-recorded static elements, notwithstanding their later combination
with dynamic elements to assemble a longer voice prompt at runtime.
We also agree with the Examiner that the SPIN Application Table
reasonably meets the claimed “assignment table” limitation giving the term
its broadest reasonable interpretation. As the Examiner indicates, Osder’s
SPIN Application Table assigns the values of the identifiers (e.g., UV10AE,
etc.) that point to prompt element sets shown in Tables 2-5 that contain the
pre-recorded prompts. As shown in Fig. 3, each identifier in the SPIN
Application Table (UV10AE, etc.) corresponds to a unique SPIN application
and provides an entry point to the database. See Osder, Fig. 3 (showing
arrows pointing to Tables 2, 4, and 5). Giving the term “variable” its
broadest reasonable interpretation, we conclude that placing each SPIN
application identifier in the assignment table itself inherently involves the
table assigning a value to a variable. Moreover, the assignment table also
assigns a value to the variable associated with selecting the appropriate
prompt from the American English Prompt Set 2 (i.e., P1000, P1001, etc.).
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