Appeal No. 97-1213 Page 4
Application No. 08/459,561
ahead commands must pass over the computer bus 12 (from
processor 30 to adapter 14) which is contrary to the
requirement of claim 51 that the read ahead of the n+1th datum
must be “before the computer bus transmits a request for the
n+1th datum.” We might agree with appellants’ position if the
cited claim language read “before said computer bus transmits
any request for said n+1th datum.” However, as presently
written, it is our view that the instant claim language is
broad enough to cover the situation disclosed by Barrett.
The instant claim language does not preclude an original
read ahead command being issued by the device driver over
computer bus 12 to the adapter 14 in Barrett. The adapter 14
then retrieves the n+1th datum from a disk and places it in
the adapter cache. It may never be used but the system awaits
a formal request by the processor 30 for the n+1th datum.
Should that formal request for the n+1th datum come from
processor 30, i.e., the computer bus transmits a request for
said n+1th datum, the n+1th datum has already been read and
stored into the adapter 14 (“said interface device”) by the
previous read ahead command and it has been done “before said
computer bus transmits a request for said n+1th datum,” as
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