Appeal No. 97-4459 Page 6
Application No. 08/421,063
Accordingly, we will initially direct our attention to
appellants' claim 1 to derive an understanding of the scope
and content thereof.
Claim 1 recites an aspiration needle comprising, inter
alia, (1) a rigid elongate tubular member having a bore and an
opening at the distal extremity in communication with the
bore, (2) a body secured to the proximal extremity of the
tubular member and having a cell collection chamber therein
and a hub proximal of the cell collection chamber for
receiving a source of vacuum, and (3) the body having an
enlarged portion adjacent the proximal extremity of the
tubular member permitting magnified viewing of the cell
collection chamber.
The term permitting in the context as used in claim 1 is
capable of two distinct meanings. The first is that the
enlarged portion provides magnified viewing of the cell
collection chamber. The second is that the enlarged portion
allows magnified viewing of the cell collection chamber
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