Appeal No. 98-0102
Application 08/030,734
means” and “evaporator means”, and claim 26 recites “hot
junction means” and “cold junction means”, respectively). In
construing this recitation, we must determine the meaning of
“the reduced difference”, which incidentally, has no
antecedent basis in the claims. The word “reduced” is a word
of relationship or degree, since the difference can only be
“reduced” relative to some other difference. The claims do
not
specify what the temperature difference is reduced in relation
to, and in such a circumstance, we must determine whether
appellant’s specification provides some standard for measuring
the degree or relationship recited, so that one of ordinary
skill would understand what is claimed when the claim is read
in light of the specification. Seattle Box Co., Inc. v.
Industrial Crating and Packing, Inc., 731 F.2d 818, 826, 221
USPQ 568, 574 (Fed. Cir. 1984).
From appellant’s specification, it appears that the
claimed operating temperature difference is “reduced” relative
to the operating temperature difference in a system using an
“immersed type” heat absorber. For example, as stated in the
last paragraph on page 11 of the specification (emphasis
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