Appeal No. 1997-2247 Page 14
Application No. 08/259,798
a precharge disabling circuit, responsive to a
control signal, for disabling the precharge circuit
from applying the common precharge voltage and for
concurrently supplying an alternative common voltage
to both leads of each of the plurality of pairs of
bitlines ....
Claim 11 similarly specifies in pertinent part the following
limitations:
a circuit arranged for simultaneously
precharging both leads of each of the plurality of
pairs of bitlines to a common precharge voltage and,
in response to a control signal, supplying
concurrently an alternative common voltage to both
leads of each of the plurality of pairs of bitlines.
Giving the claims their broadest reasonable interpretation,
the limitations recite disabling the precharging voltage and
supplying an alternative voltage to both of the bit lines.
Kuo would have suggested the limitations. As mentioned
regarding the first argument, the reference teaches that the
bit line precharge apparatus 13 precharges bit lines BL and
BL* to a high logic precharging voltage. In addition, Kuo
teaches disabling the high logic precharging voltage and
supplying an alternative common voltage to both bit lines BL
and BL*. Specifically, "precharge apparatus 13 ... is capable
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