Appeal 2007-1092
Application 10/939,463
The grooves in the outer sleeve are triangular in cross section, and arranged such
that the bottom of the triangle is upstream (with respect to the insertion of the
cable) of the center of the triangle. See figs. 2, 4, and 6. Szegda teaches that the
grooves and the serrations they form provide a “positive and reliable” grip on the
cable jacket. Col. 4, ll. 50-58, and col. 5, ll. 1-5. The deformation of the jacket
provides a weather tight seal. Col. 4, ll. 50-58 and col. 5, ll. 9-12. Thus, Szegda
teaches that the serrations provide two functions, gripping the cable and providing
a weather tight seal.
Holliday teaches a connector which can be mounted on a coaxial cable.
Holliday teaches that it is well known in the art that coaxial cables are prepared to
receive a connector by stripping the cable and folding the outer braided conductor
over the outer jacket. Col. 3, ll. 14-18. The connector of Holliday includes an
inner sleeve 21 and an outer sleeve 26. See figs 1, 2, 5, and col. 3, ll. 29-37. The
inner sleeve is inserted between the insulator and the braided conductor, the outer
sleeve surrounds the folded over braided conductor and the jacket see fig 1. Both
the inner sleeve and the outer sleeve are grooved.
PRINCIPLES OF LAW
Office personnel must rely on Appellants’ disclosure to properly determine
the meaning of the terms used in the claims. Markman v. Westview Instruments,
Inc., 52 F.3d 967, 980, 34 USPQ2d 1321, 1330 (Fed. Cir. 1995). “[I]nterpreting
what is meant by a word in a claim ‘is not to be confused with adding an
extraneous limitation appearing in the specification, which is improper.’” In re
Cruciferous Sprout Litigation, 301 F.3d 1343, 1348, 64 USPQ2d 1202, 1205, (Fed.
Cir. 2002) (emphasis in original) (citing Intervet Am., Inc. v. Kee-Vet Labs., Inc.,
887 F.2d 1050, 1053, 12 USPQ2d 1474, 1476 (Fed.Cir.1989)).
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