Appeal 2007-3363
Application 10/342,711
essentially the same except in the percentage of light absorbed and reflected.
We select claim 1 as representative of the claims on appeal. Claim 1 is
reproduced as it appears in the claim appendix to the Substitute Appeal Brief
(Br.) except that it has been indented as required under 37 C.F.R. § 41.75(i):
1. A binderless stimulable phosphor screen comprising
a vapor deposited phosphor layer on a support
incorporating into the bulk of said support
a white pigment and
a pigment absorbing light of a wavelength above 600 nm
absorbing at least 30 % of the stimulating light and
reflecting at least 60 % of the stimulated light
wherein said vapor deposited phosphor is a needle-
shaped phosphor,
being a CsX:Eu stimulable phosphor,
wherein x [sic, X] represents a halide selected
from the group consisting of Br and Cl.
We are obligated to construe an application claim as broadly as is
reasonable in view of the specification. The screen is defined using the
transitional term "comprising", which opens the screen to the inclusion of
elements not listed in the claim.
The phrase "vapor deposited phosphor" is expressly defined to mean
any of thermal-vapor deposition, chemical-vapor deposition, electron-beam
deposition, radio-frequency deposition, and pulsed-laser deposition.
(Specification (Spec.) 4:7-11.)
Agfa prefers supports that are ceramic, glass, or polymer film
(Spec. 4:14-20), but the claim is not limited to these. Suitable white
pigments include titanium dioxide (TiO2) and barium sulfate (BaSO4)
(Spec. 4:27-30), but the claim is not limited to these. The specification gives
organic and inorganic blue pigments as examples of pigments absorbing
2
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