Appeal No. 98-3292
Application 08/611,848
According to the specification (pages 2-4) the first plane
(30) is defined by the upper surface of the underlying printed
circuit board seen in the lower right portion of Figure 1,
while the second plane (28) is defined by
the light pipe (26) which carries electrical contacts and
runners (31) or alternatively includes a flex circuit (32)
with runners (33) that are coupled to the control printed
circuit board via pad (34). Thus, it appears that the first
and second planes referred to in appellants’ claims on appeal
form no part of the integrally formed contiguous keypad
defined in the claims, but instead are merely different planes
within the overall device itself, which planes carry
electrical contacts with which the keys of the keypad are
operatively or functionally associated via the conductive
material (19, 25, 35) provided on the bottom surfaces of the
keys to thereby permit activation of a given circuit or
circuit component. Note particularly, page 4, lines 6-19 of
appellants’ specification. As a result of the ambiguity in
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