Appeal No. 96-0899
Application 07/863,216
stored in the central memory" [answer, page 4] but contends that
it is well known "to store this type of addressing and location
information...for the purpose of locating a patient..." [answer,
page 4] and this much is not denied by appellants.
Appellants argue that Auer does not disclose a hospital
patient tracking system that comprises a plurality of clusters of
patient tracking modules [brief, pages 8-9]. However, the
examiner has explained, reasonably in our view, that a "cluster,"
in Auer, is a ward which comprises several bedside terminals.
Such an interpretation of "cluster" is not inconsistent with
appellants' own definition, at page 9 of the brief, from
Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary since each ward in Auer
comprises "things [bedside terminals 10]...grouped closely
together." The term "closely" is a relative term and, while
appellants intend, and, in fact, disclose, patient tracking
modules which are closer than those in Auer, this does not
nullify the interpretation that Auer's bedside terminals are
close together in the sense of being in the same ward.
Appellants argue that "it does violence to Applicant's
disclosed invention...to argue that the reconfigurable
keyboard/display devices of Auer...constitute a "cluster" of
patient tracking modules simply because they are briefly
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