Appeal No. 1997-2986
Application No. 08/260,784
Appellant seems to be arguing that the claim language requires
that finished pieces having the same dimensions produced in
accordance with two or more program routines be placed in the
same location on the pallet. We do not agree. The language4
in question is broad enough to permit pieces of the same
dimension produced in accordance with different program
routines to be assigned to different locations. Claim 1, for
example, recites "utilizing said data retrieved from said
program routines to compute optimal locations at at least one
unloading means where finished pieces of the same dimension
cut in accordance with different ones of said program routines
are to be moved to so as to prevent any conflict in unloading
of finished pieces during a production run" (emphasis added).
The terms "optimal" and "conflict," which are not defined in
the claim or the specification and thus are to be given their
broadest reasonable interpretations, In re Morris, 127 F.3d
1048, 1054, 44 USPQ2d 1023, 1027 (Fed. Cir. 1997), are
satisfied even if the combined teachings result in locating
the plates made from two different sheets of stock (i.e., in
4This relationship is, however, recited in dependent
claim 23, discussed infra.
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