Appeal No. 2005-0840
Application No. 09/847,447
the joint material is caused to flow to contact the
corresponding pads so that the tiles are joined to the
base plate. The flowable joint material preferably is
solder, and the contact pads preferably are a metal
which will be wetted by the solder for mechanically and
electrically coupling the corresponding pads to each
other to mechanically mount the tiles on the base
plate . . . .
Seraphim, like Li, teaches employing contact pads and contact
pads having solder as means for aligning and attaching tiles
(display modules) to a back or base plate. Compare Seraphim,
column 14, lines 35-41 with Li, column 1, lines 38-62.
Specifically, Seraphim teaches that its tiles are also attached
to the base plate and aligned using the passive alignment
technique taught by Li. See column 14, lines 35-41.
Since these contact pads and contact pads having solder are
used for the alignment and connecting (mating) purposes and since
the claimed alignment elements and devices are not defined
structurally or otherwise to exclude the contact pads and contact
pads having solder, we concur with the examiner that the claimed
alignment elements and devices, as properly interpreted,
encompass the contact pads and contact pads having solder,
respectively, described in Li and Seraphim. In re Yamamoto, 740
F.2d 1569, 1571, 222 USPQ 934, 936 (Fed. Cir. 1984 (During
prosecution of a patent application, the terms in the claims on
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