Appeal No. 2001-1420
Application No. 08/988,453
1099 (1989 ed.). A technical dictionary defines “pixel” as the “smallest part of an
electronically coded picture image” or the “smallest addressable element in an
electronic display.” McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, Fifth Ed.
at 1516 (1994).
We interpret “pixel” as used in appellants’ claims, consistent with appellants’
disclosure and with the ordinary meaning of the term, as referring to the smallest part
(i.e., the basic unit) of an electronically coded picture image. Claims 1 and 13 thus
require that the smallest part of the electronically coded image be based on a multi-tone
level control of at least three levels, and thus distinguish over generation of simple on
and off, or black and white, pixels.
Takahashi reflects an uncommon meaning for the term “pixel.” Takahashi
contends that a pixel may be divided into four or more elemental sections called “sub-
pixels.” Col. 1, l. 60 - col. 2, l. 30; Fig. 2. Perhaps the term “pixel” as used in Takahashi
refers to the smallest unit that may be resolved by the human eye. In any event, the
so-called sub-pixels referenced by Takahashi are more properly known as pixels, which
may be combined to form units (halftone cells) of different gray scale levels (e.g., col. 2,
ll. 51-57).
The Dir reference, on the other hand, uses the terms “pixels” and “halftone cells”
consistent with their ordinary meanings. See col. 1, ll. 1-68. As shown in Figure 1, a
halftone cell may be made up of 16 pixels, each of which may be black or white,
yielding 17 different gray levels.
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