Appeal No. 2000-0583
Application No. 08/955,984
appellants’ claims do not specify the type of strength and
appellants' specification does not expressly define "strength"
and there is no indication in the record that the strength of
a balloon is understood in the art to have a more specific
meaning, we construe the term “strength” as used in
appellants’ claims as a measure of resistance to stresses and
strains of any type and in any direction.
The term "manner" is defined as a way or method in which
something is done or happens. In the context of appellants'7
claim 1, it is apparent that "manner" means method, a term
which does have antecedent basis in claim 1. Thus, we
understand "the same manner" as referring back to the method
recited in lines 1-5 of claim 1. In other words, "a reference
balloon prepared in the same manner, except for said drying
step," as used in claim 1, is a balloon prepared by extruding
a hollow tube of thermoplastic material and subsequently
expanding the tube by subjecting it to elevated temperature
and an increased interior pressure while in a mold to produce
an oriented balloon. The reference balloon alluded to in
7Id.
6
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