Appeal No. 2001-1284 Page 8
Application No. 08/792,765
In the present case, we have reviewed the appellant's
disclosure to help us determine the meaning of "quick plunge."
That review has revealed that the appellant's specification
states: (1) at page 2, lines 12-26, that the threads are
"relatively steeply arched," (2) at page 2, lines 27-31, that the
quick plunge feature "preferably provides complete insertion with
a minimum of turning of the upper enclosure," and (3) at page 4,
lines 24-31, that "the 'steepness' of the threads 33, 35 are
preferably selected such that minimal turning of the upper
enclosure 13 is required to secure the upper enclosure 13 with
the lower enclosure 15, thus providing a deep plunge, quick
insertion feature." Additionally, the appellant's Figures 1 and
3-5 show threads 33, 35 on enclosures 13, 15.
However, these portions of the disclosure do not provide
explicit guidelines defining the terminology "quick plunge."
Furthermore, there are no guidelines that would be implicit to
one skilled in the art defining the term "quick plunge" that
would enable one skilled in the art to ascertain what is meant by
"quick plunge." For example, one cannot ascertain if the threads
18, 26 of Cooper provide "quick plunge" of upper shell 22 into
lower cup 12. Absent such guidelines, we are of the opinion that
a skilled person would not be able to determine the metes and
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