Appeal No. 2001-1787
Application 09/374,122
communication between at least two people (e.g., between a
therapist and a client/patient). As can be seen in the drawings
of the present application, the tool (10) is specifically
designed for use by a plurality of people and includes a
plurality of sections (12), with each section including a
“fingerwalk labyrinth” (14) for use by one person. As noted on
page 4 of the specification, the labyrinth provides an elongate
path (15) leading from a periphery of the tool to a centerpoint
(18) of the labyrinth and is defined, in the preferred
embodiment, as a continuous groove (15) winding towards the
centerpoint (18). Adjacent portions of the winding groove or
path (15) are separated from one another by an upstanding wall
(20). Further guidance concerning the method of use and the
structure of appellant’s communication tool is found in the
paragraph bridging pages 4 and 5 of the specification, which
reads as follows:
[t]he method of use for the tool 10 is based on the premise
that through quieting of the mind and slowing down of the
body through relaxation, enhanced interpersonal (between two
or more people) and intra-personal communication
(communication that occurs within individuals to help them
become more self-aware) occurs. As each person moves a
finger 22 through a labyrinth 14, a process commonly
referred to as “fingerwalking”, the fingerwalk takes an
individual from the periphery 24 to the centerpoint 18.
Reaching the centerpoint 18 is not the object, rather it is
the communication that occurs along the “journey” to and
2
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