Appeal No. 1997-2898
Application 08/368,239
Himelstein does contain a description of selecting a
plane within a three-dimensional drawing, and not just
selecting objects. In Himelstein, when the user creates a
three-dimensional object, that user creates a front polygon
which is a two-dimensional plane. See paragraph bridging
columns 3 and 4. By creating that front polygon, the user has
a means for selecting that polygon as a first plane. The user
selectable vanishing point and depth enables the CAD system to
in turn generate a three-dimensional drawing using the front
polygon. The generated three-dimensional drawing includes a
back polygon, i.e., variable plane. The depth of the drawing
can be changed by dragging a point on the object, and the
drawing is modified to reflect the change. See column 4,
lines 46-57. We find that providing the user with the
capability of creating the front polygon meets the Appellants'
claimed language "means for selecting a first plane" and
thereby reads on Appellants' limitations recited in claim 1.
Appellants argue on page 12 of the brief that neither
Himelstein nor Fuller discloses selecting faces of a three-
dimensional object, much less selecting multiple parent/offset
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