Appeal No. 2000-0431 Page 18
Application No. 08/789,127
(Fed. Cir. 1989)). Here, representative claim 11 specifies in1
pertinent part the following limitations:
setting means for setting a region where said
moving apparatus moves;
input means for inputting a position where said
moving apparatus completes movement in said set region;
and
operation means for determining the prescribed
pitch employed by said running control means based on
the region set by said setting means and the position
input by said input means.
The appellants’ specification states that “[t]he distance between
a forward path and a backward path in zigzag running is herein
referred to as ‘a traverse movement pitch.’” (Spec. at 19.)
Giving the claim its broadest reasonable interpretation, the
limitations merely require inter alia determining a distance
1“The PTO broadly interprets claims during examination of a
patent application since the applicant may ‘amend his claims to
obtain protection commensurate with his actual contribution to
the art.’” In re Yamamoto, 740 F.2d 1569, 1571, 222 USPQ 934,
936 (Fed. Cir. 1984)(quoting In re Prater, 415 F.2d 1393,
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