Appeal No. 1996-1897
Application 08/064,145
The American Heritage Dictionary Second College Edition (pages 1060 and 1370) : 4
rib . . . n. . . . 2. A part or piece similar to a rib and serving to shape or support: the rib of an
umbrella. . . . 6. Archit. a. An arch or a projecting arched member of a vault. b. One of the
curved pieces of an arch. . . . .
web . . . n. . . . 8. Archit. The surface between the ribs of a ribbed vault. 9. A metal sheet or
plate connecting the heavier sections, ribs, or flanges of any structural element. 10. A thin
metal plate or strip, as the bit of a key or the blade of a saw. . . . .
Thus, we find that one of ordinary skill in this art would interpret the term “rib” in light of
appellants’ specification to mean a piece “similar to a rib” which provides support since it serves as a
“chucking surface,” thus reasonably suggesting a flat rather than arched surface, as shown in
specification FIGs. 1-3, in a manner which supports the enclosed workpiece with respect to the chuck
which holds the workpiece to the machine tool or tools (e.g., page 7). We further find that this person
would further interpret the term “web” in light of appellants’ specification to mean the surface between
the “ribs.” The term “several” in these phrases would be considered by one of ordinary skill in this art
to have its common dictionary meaning of “more than two or three but not many” as defined in, e.g.,
The American Heritage Dictionary Second College Edition (page 1123; see supra note 4).
Accordingly, we find that, depending on the language of the particular claim, the claimed plastic
material enclosures, having parallel chucking surfaces for fixing an irregularly contoured metal
workpiece for processing, comprise (claims 12 through 14, 16 through 25 and 29) or consist of (claim
28) at least four spaced apart ribs, that provide support as “chucking surfaces,” which are connected
by webs. The ribs and webs are made of a polymer material, that can contain fillers which are
reinforcing agents (claims 12, 16 through 25, 28 and 29), such as a thermoplastic (claim 13) which can
be polystyrene containing reinforcing fillers (claim 14), and have cross-sectional surfaces of
approximately the same size (claims 12 through 14, 16 through 25 and 29), with the resulting enclosure
being crack-free (claims 12 through 14 and 16 through 25). The workpiece can be “a power unit
blade device” having leading and trailing edges at least partially enclosed by webs of the enclosure
(claim 20) in which the distance between the ribs can be smaller at the blade base and/or tip than in the
4Boston, Houghton Mifflin Company. 1982.
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