Appeal No. 2002-0880
Application No. 09/183,214
tion link, as the phrase is normally used and is used in the present application, means a
communication medium external to the test apparatus. See page 8 of the brief.
Appellants further argue that Winkler does not teach providing a control signal over a
communication link to cause a test apparatus to execute a first test based upon the
control signals. See pages 9 through10 of the brief.
The Examiner relies on Winkler for the teaching of a processor connected by a
data bus to a waveform generator to generate certain waveforms to input a module
being tested. In particular, the Examiner points us to Figure 2 which shows processor
55, waveform generator 42, MUT interface 16, MUT 38 and data bus. In response to
the argument that the data bus is not a communication link, the Examiner argues that a
communication link is a medium that allows one device or system to communicate with
another device or system. See page 10 of the answer.
We note that Appellants’ claim 1 recites “causing the test apparatus to execute a
first test based on the retrieved set of test parameters by providing a control signal to
the test apparatus over a communication link.”
When interpreting a claim, words of the claim are generally given their ordinary
and accustomed meaning, unless it appears from the specification or the file history
that they were used differently by the inventor. Carroll touch, inc. v. Electro
7
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