Appeal No. 1999-0213 Page 3
Application No. 08/814,550
(2) The compartments (trays) 6, 7, 8, 6', 7', 8' of Vaccaro are
not separate from the unitary body of the tool kit (carrier)
(brief, pp. 7 to 8).
(3) Vaccaro does not disclose “at least one tray extending
transversely across each of said front sections and said rear
section beneath the level of said center section,” as claimed,
because Vaccaro’s compartments are on the same level as the
center section (brief, p. 8).
We do not agree with arguments (1) and (2). It is
fundamental that claims are to be given their broadest
reasonable interpretation, and limitations are not to be read
into them from the specification. In re Van Geuns, 988 F.2d
1181, 1184, 26 USPQ2d 1057, 1059 (Fed. Cir. 1993). As for
argument (1), the top surface of Vaccaro’s front section (with
compartments 6, 7, 8) slopes forwardly and downwardly from its
rear end to its front end, and the top surface of Vaccaro’s
rear section (with compartments 6', 7', 8') slopes rearwardly
and downwardly from its front end to its rear end. This is
sufficient to meet the language of claim 1, since claim 1 does
not specify what part or how much of each of the front and rear
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