Appeal No. 1998-2847 Page 8
Application No. 08/521,873
After review of the appellants' disclosure, it is our
opinion that such disclosure fails to adequately disclose what
structure corresponds to the three elements expressed in
means-plus-function format (i.e., means for indicating, entry
transition means, and exit transition means). While the
specification (page 26, line 20, to page 29, line 10) provides
some support for these three elements, it is our view that the
specification does not specifically disclose the structure
that corresponds to each of the claimed "means." What
structure corresponds to the entry transition means for
randomly causing a player to enter onto the add-on board?
What structure corresponds to the exit transition means for
randomly causing a player to exit the add-on board? In
addition, after reviewing the appellants' original disclosure,
it appears to us that the appellants have misused the phrase
"randomly causing" since when playing the game the player
"may" choose to transition to or from the add-on board based
on the roll the dice (see page 26, line 20, to page 27, line
20 of the specification). Thus, using the example set forth
on page 27, lines 5-8, while the total roll of the device
being odd or even is random, when a player rolls an even
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