Appeal No. 1996-2198
Application 08/077,506
second pattern circuit memorizes the second pattern
as the reference pattern.
Reference patterns are generated and memorized
for different training speeches in the similar
manner as described above. [Spec. at 13, lines 1-
10.]
The examiner contends that
The specification . . . fails to indicate what type
of apparatus block 18 is or what particular function
it performs. The arguments vaguely indicate that
the apparatus of the "second pattern forming circuit
18" is capable of "joining or associating" data.
This is contrary to the function of pattern
forming." [Answer at 6-7.]
The examiner appears to believe that because the first pattern
forming circuit 16 performs Baum-Welch calculations and thus
is not just a memory device, the same must hold for the second
pattern forming circuit 18. We do not agree that the use of
the term "pattern forming circuit" to refer to two different
claimed elements implies that the elements employ similar
structures or perform similar functions. Nor do we agree that
the term "pattern forming" necessarily implies that the second
pattern forming circuit more be doing more than simply storing
a combination of the state transition probability distribution
and the approximate continuous probability density function as
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