Appeal No. 2006-1450
Application No. 09/933,786
We note that independent claim 1 reads in part as follows:
“The shift post processor comprises a decoder to decode
the offset parameter into the mask field, the mask
field having a plurality of bits, each of the mask bits
corresponding to a bit position of the shifted
operand.”
At page 11, paragraph 0054, Appellant’s specification
states:
The decoder 710 receives the OFFSET parameter and
generates a shift field mask MASK [1 . . . N]. The
shift field mask has N bits, mask(l) to mask (N),
corresponding to N-bit word of the shifted operand. The
shift mask field defines the bit positions that are
affected by the post processing operations. In one
embodiment, a logical one in the mask(k) indicates that
the bit at the k-th position is affected by the post
processing operation, and a logical zero allows the bit
at the k-th position to pass through unmodified. The
decoder essentially converts the OFFSET value into a
bit pattern having a group of consecutive mask bits
that corresponds to the portion of the operand to be
operated upon.
Thus, the claim does require that each of the masked bits
corresponds to a bit position of the shifted operand.
Now, the question before us is what Groves would have taught
to one of ordinary skill in the art? To answer this question, we
find the following facts:
1. Groves states, at column 1 lines 22-28, that:
In modern data processing systems, this storage unit of
data is termed a word and consist of 16 binary digits
or bits. Words may also consist of 32, 48 or 64 bits
8
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