Appeal No. 2006-0440
Application No. 10/291,933
Claim 1, step ii), recites in part: “the outlet streams
being applied to the substrate and the outlet streams being
spaced apart from each other such that the outlet streams flow
together seamlessly after application to the substrate.” Thus,
the recitation specifies two limitations: (1) the outlet streams
are applied to the substrate; and (2) the outlet streams are
spaced apart from each other such that they flow together
seamlessly after application to the substrate. By its express
terms, however, the first limitation does not specify the
particular physical forms of the outlet streams. That is, the
limitation does not recite that the outlet streams are applied
to the substrate individually and separately. Hence, we
construe the first limitation to read on or encompass a step in
which the outlet streams are combined at the time that they are
applied to the substrate. Similarly, with respect to the second
limitation, there is no requirement that the outlet streams must
be spaced apart immediately prior to their application to the
substrate. The limitation merely requires that the outlet
streams are spaced apart at some point in time but that they
flow seamlessly after application to the substrate.
Our interpretation of the claim language is consistent with
the specification description, which indicates to one skilled in
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