Ex parte MONKOWSKI et al. - Page 7




          Appeal No. 96-0285                                                          
          Application  07/900,528                                                     


          of the claim language depends on whether one of ordinary skill              
          in the art would understand what is claimed in light of the                 
          specification.  Seattle Box Co., v. Industrial Crating &                    
          Packing, Inc., 731 F.2d 818, 826, 221 USPQ 568, 574 (Fed. Cir.              
          1984).                                                                      
          The examiner’s “Response to argument” section of the                        
          answer reveals that what the examiner deems to be indefinite                
          is merely a matter of claim breadth.  For example, the                      
          examiner states that “since there are many different CMOS and               
          self-aligned double bipolar transistor processes, it is not                 
          clear which process are [sic] being claimed” [answer, page 4].              
          Appellants correctly point out that the specific one of the                 
          different CMOS and self-aligned double bipolar transistor                   
          processes is irrelevant to their claimed invention.  The                    
          independent claims broadly include all of them.  Likewise, the              
          examiner states that “the recited process steps are not                     
          specific enough to differentiate the claimed bipolar                        
          technologies” [id.].  Once again, the claim does not have to                
          differentiate which of the bipolar technologies is included                 
          within the scope of the claim because all such technologies                 
          are to be included.  It must be remembered that breadth of the              
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