Appeal No. 2000-1472
Application No. 08/855,104
which is the only independent claim on appeal, to derive an
understanding of the scope and content thereof.
According to the words of the claim, a valve is
“associated” with a particular series of apertures only if it
controls the flow of fluid through that particular series of
apertures and in order to control the flow through the series
of apertures the valve must be capable of preventing flow
until it opens. Thus, we understand the language “preventing
flow through the respective series of apertures” as meaning
that no fluid passes through the series of apertures when the
valve associated with that series of apertures is in abutting
relation to the apertures. This interpretation is consistent
with the specification which teaches that the “valve plates 43
are held in abutment with the piston 26" and are illustrated
as completely closing the apertures 42 and that “the valve
element 43 is free of the end of the apertures 45 so that it
will not affect the flow therethrough.” See specification p.
5.
Our interpretation is also consistent with the
appellant’s argument on page 3 of the brief and the argument
6
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