Appeal No. 1999-0704 Page 6
Application No. 08/558,661
abuts the inner surface of the rod tube 20, Kelly's guide meets the limitation "said fishline guide
having an outer peripheral surface abutting the inner surface of said rod tube between a front
and rear side of said fishline guide" in claim 1.
With regard to the limitation in claim 1 that the guide be "formed integrally with" the5
rod tube, we note that, in proceedings before it, the PTO applies to the verbiage of claims the
broadest reasonable meaning of the words in their ordinary usage as they would be understood
by one of ordinary skill in the art, taking into account whatever enlightenment by way of
definitions or otherwise that may be afforded by the written description contained in the
appellants' specification. In re Morris, 127 F.3d 1048, 1054, 44 USPQ2d 1023, 1027 (Fed.
Cir. 1997). Moreover, absent an express definition in their specification, the fact that the
appellants can point to definitions or usages that conform to their interpretation does not make
the PTO's definition unreasonable when the PTO can point to other sources that support its
interpretation. Morris, 127 F.3d at 1056, 44 USPQ2d at 1029. In this instance, while the
appellants use the terminology "formed integrally" several times throughout the specification
(pages 7, 8, 9, 10, 21 and 22, for example) and while the only disclosed method of forming the
rod and guide involves joining them together in a thermal molding process, we have found in
the appellants' specification no express definition of the phrase "formed integrally." Therefore,
5The appellants have elected to use terminology in claim 1 which differs materially from the language
"being connected integrally to said rod tube as a consequence of thermal molding" recited in claim 25, discussed
infra.
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