Appeal No. 2003-0228
Application 09/118,572
The appellants’ claim 1 requires an apparatus having an
input to receive, via a network, identifying data that identifies
one of a set of standardized textures and comprises one or a
sequence of program commands whose execution will result in the
generation of a procedural texture.
The examiner argues that because a procedural texture can be
a mathematical function, Jenkins’ parameters transmitted to run
the procedural texture have to include commands to place the
parameters in the mathematical function (answer, page 9). A
parameter in programming is “a value passed to a subroutine or
function for processing”,2 and “is synonymous with argument, a
value that is passed to a routine.”3 As indicated by these
definitions, parameters may be mere data, and the examiner has
provided no evidence or reasoning which shows that parameters
used in procedural textures must include commands to place the
data in a mathematical function. Furthermore, the examiner has
not explained how the applied references themselves would have
2 TechEncyclopedia,
http://www.techweb.com/encyclopedia/defineterm?term=parameter&x=4
2&y=7. A copy of each dictionary definition cited herein is
provided to the appellants with this decision.
3 Webopedia,
http://www.pcwebopaedia.com/TERM/p/parameter.html.
4
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