Appeal No. 2005-1674
Application 09/613,153
8-11. More particularly, the '286 patent explains that "[s]ystems and methods consistent with the
present invention provide investors with the means to select an investment group based on a set
of selection criteria consisting of a buyback ratio and price/sales or price/earnings ratio to
improve investment return." Id. at col. 2, ll. 55-59.
The '286 patent issued with claims 1-20, of which claims 1, 10, and 19 are independent
claims. Each of the independent claims specifies that the criteria for screening the selection of a
stock "consists of a buyback ratio and at least one of [a] price/sales ratio and a price/earnings
ratio for each stock." Claim 1, for example, reads,
1. A computer implemented method for creating a buyback
investment report comprising the steps of:
receiving a request specifying a selection of stocks from a database
of stock information;
selecting criteria for screening the selection of stock, wherein the
selected criteria consists of a buyback ratio and at least one of [a]
price/sales ratio and a price/earnings ratio for each stock,
screening the selection of stocks, the screening process including
the substeps of
identifying the stocks from the specified selection having
buyback ratios, wherein a buyback ratio corresponds to a
percentage of issued stock repurchased from the public during a
specified period and resulting in a decrease of shares outstanding,
and
identifying a price/sales ratio or price/earnings ratio in the
group for each such stock of a subset of the stocks having buyback
ratios, wherein the subset is determined based on the buyback
ratio for each stock; and
ranking stocks within the subset based on the price/sales
ratio or price/earnings ratio for each stock, wherein the stock
having the lowest price/sales ratio or price/earnings ratio is ranked
the highest.
The reissue application includes patent claims 1-20 in unamended form plus new claims
21-81, of which claims 21, 31, 41, 51, 61, 71, and 81 are independent. These new independent
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