Appeal No. 97-1444 Page 4
Application No. 08/394,499
stiffness to said toy to prevent the toy from wrapping around a
child, to thereby prevent suffocation."
It is axiomatic that, in proceedings before the PTO, claims
in an application are to be given their broadest reasonable
interpretation consistent with the specification, and that claim
language should be read in light of the specification as it would
be interpreted by one of ordinary skill in the art. In re Sneed,
710 F.2d 1544, 1548, 218 USPQ 385, 388 (Fed. Cir. 1983).
The appellant's specification (pages 1-2) provides that
(1) the soft nature of the micro-bubble plastic laminate
cushioning sheet of the prior art permits it to wrap around
irregular objects for cushioning and therefore can result in a
young child being wrapped up in the sheet and suffocated, (2) the
laminate of the invention is provided with sufficient stiffness
that it resists wrapping around a child enough to cause
suffocation, and (3) the bottom layer 4 is sufficiently stiff or
rigid that it prevents the mat 1 from folding over and smothering
a child and keeps it flat on the floor.
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