Appeal 2007-0506
Application 09/998,511
definitions of functions tightly associated with that type, where the functions
implement the operations on that type and are called methods or member
functions (col. 6, ll. 19-35). Objects are created from a class by a process
called instantiation (col. 6, ll. 36-43). All objects of a given type (ADT)
share their functions (col. 8, ll. 16-17). Figure 5 of Coplien discloses an
ADT for the class Window having data for position and size and functions
for move, refresh, create, and delete. The functions for refresh, create, and
delete are not implemented in the Windows class. A class XWindow is used
to implement the semantics for manipulating a window created using the
X window system (col. 8, ll. 62-64). It contains declarations of data that
hold information pertinent to the details of maintaining windows (pixel
depth, color, etc.) and defines the functions to do what needs to be done to
X windows (refresh, create, delete, etc.) (col. 8, ll. 64-68).
There is no question, and Appellants admit, that Coplien discloses the
general concept of an interface-implementation relationship in object-
oriented programming. Appellants do not allege that they invented the
interface-implementation programming structure illustrated in their Figure 7.
However, we do not agree with the Examiner's finding that Coplien
discloses setting a breakpoint in a function of the first program entity and
halting execution during debugging in response to reaching an
implementation of the method defined in the second program entity. (If it
did, it would in fact anticipate.) Column 8, lines 45-53, which the Examiner
relies on, only states that when there are two different objects of the same
class, modifications to their shared text to insert a breakpoint will cause what
9
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next
Last modified: September 9, 2013