anchor wall, ecolab, pall corp.

custom search

Reversed
Tech Center 1600 Biotechnology and Organic Chemistry
1653 Prakash, Satya et al. 13111105 CHANG 101/102/103 Jonathan M Kaplan AFREMOVA, VERA

Tech Center 2100 Computer Architecture and Software
2153 Thomas M. Annau et al. 13873349 KOHUT 103 Zilka-Kotab, PC - Austin LIN, ALLEN S

Tech Center 2400 Networking, Multiplexing, Cable, and Security
2421 Brian Sprague et al. 13354640 JUNG 103 STERNE, KESSLER, GOLDSTEIN & FOX P.L.L.C. CASTRO, ALFONSO

2425 Annamraju, Venu et al. 14571477 JEFFERY 112(2)/101/102 Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP (ImgTec) HODGES, SUSAN E

2488 Thomas J. Mcmanus et al. 13944642 CYGAN 103 Fredrikson & Byron, P.A. Intellectual Property Group, Fluke Patents LE, PETER D

Tech Center 2600 Communications
2674 Dov Katz et al. 15089447 DIXON 103 Facebook/Fenwick DEMETER, HILINA K

2692 Google LLC 14643488 BENNETT 103 FISH & RICHARDSON P.C. SUTEERAWONGSA, JARURAT

Tech Center 3600 Transportation, Construction, Electronic Commerce, Agriculture, National Security, and License & Review
3624 TSAI, Shawn Ching-Hsiang. et al. 13300583 BRANCH 112(1) Cooper Legal Group LLC RINES, ROBERT D

3657 KNORR-BREMSE Systeme fuer Nutzfahrzeuge GmbH 14454893 MARTIN 103 CROWELL & MORING LLP SICONOLFI, ROBERT

3684 Muthu Sundaresan et al. 14807978 SHIANG 101/OTDP Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P. (eBay Inc.) ZIMMERMAN, MATTHEW E

3686 ZirMed, Inc. 13963934 CURCURI 101 FORTKORT & HOUSTON P.C. TOMASZEWSKI, MICHAEL

3695 Clifford J. Weber et al. 14822286 HUME 101/103 IP GROUP OF DLA PIPER LLP (US) POLLOCK, GREGORY A

Tech Center 3700 Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing, and Products & Design
3735 Miller, Darrell James. et al. 12733576 REIMERS 103 WITHROW & TERRANOVA, P.L.L.C. GRANO, ERNESTO ARTURIO

3762 Balduin, Michael et al. 12302374 REIMERS 103 OBLON, MCCLELLAND, MAIER & NEUSTADT, L.L.P. BARGERO, JOHN E

3792 Oliver John. Ridler et al. 14807473 LANEY 112(1)/112(2)/102/103 Merchant & Gould Cochlear STICE, PAULA J

 Over the years, the Federal Circuit has consistently maintained that a term of approximation, such as “substantially,” is a descriptive term “commonly used in patent claims ‘to avoid a strict numerical boundary to the specified parameter.”’  Anchor Wall Sys., Inc. v. Rockwood Retaining Walls, Inc., 340 F.3d 1298, 1310–11 (Fed. Cir. 2003); see also Ecolab, Inc. v. Envirochem, Inc., 264 F.3d 1358, 1367 (Fed. Cir. 2001), Pall Corp. v. Micron Separations, Inc., 66 F.3d 1211, 1217 (Fed. Cir. 1995).  In this case, the Examiner has not persuasively demonstrated that the use “substantially” creates any ambiguities beyond those inherently sanctioned by allowing an invention to be defined without providing strict numerical boundaries to a specified parameter.

Ecolab, Inc. v. FMC Corp., 569 F.3d 1335, 91 USPQ2d 1225 (Fed. Cir. 2009) 2143

3793 Kevin Gin. Park et al. 14201158 REIMERS 103 Armstrong Teasdale LLP (32736) BEHRINGER, LUTHER G

Affirmed-in-Part
Tech Center 2600 Communications
2618 Josiah Eatedali et al. 15042543 SHIANG 103 103 DISNEY ENTERPRISES, INC. c/o Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP HICKEY, DIANA S

2626 LG Display Co., Ltd. 15158440 BUI 112(1)/103 103 Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP (WA) CRAWLEY, KEITH L

Tech Center 3600 Transportation, Construction, Electronic Commerce, Agriculture, National Security, and License & Review
3673 Wade Daniel. Palashewski et al. 14146281 PESLAK 103 103 FISH & RICHARDSON P.C. (TC) MCCLURE, MORGAN J

3681 Greg Taylor et al. 13126810 KENNY 101/102 101/102/103 41.50 112(1)/112(2) HAUPTMAN HAM, LLP SORKOWITZ, DANIEL M

3695 Clifford J. Weber et al. 14812717 HUME 112(1)/101/103 OTDP IP GROUP OF DLA PIPER LLP (US) POLLOCK, GREGORY A

Tech Center 3700 Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing, and Products & Design
3786 Benjamin V. Booher 14047828 WOOD 112(1)/103 112(2) BOOTH UDALL FULLER, PLC NGUYEN, CAMTU TRAN

3792 Valencell, Inc. 14101468 FINAMORE 103 112(2) MYERS BIGEL, P.A. HOUGH, JESSANDRA F

Affirmed
Tech Center 1600 Biotechnology and Organic Chemistry
1631 Prakash Sreedhar. Murthy 13000667 BAYAT 101 BUCHANAN, INGERSOLL & ROONEY PC BORIN, MICHAEL L

1648 Peter O. Krutzik et al. 13175566 NEWMAN 103 STANFORD UNIVERSITY OFFICE OF TECHNOLOGY LICENSING BOZICEVIC, FIELD & FRANCIS LLP CHEN, STACY BROWN

Tech Center 1700 Chemical & Materials Engineering
1784 AGC Inc. 15258139 KENNEDY 103 OBLON, MCCLELLAND, MAIER & NEUSTADT, L.L.P. IVEY, ELIZABETH D

1788 Carmine Carlo. Ammirati et al. 12993213 HEANEY 103 Cozen O'Connor GOLDEN, CHINESSA T

1788 Kay Bernhard et al. 13122760 RANGE 103 HAMMER & ASSOCIATES, P.C. VAZQUEZ, ELAINE M

Tech Center 2100 Computer Architecture and Software
2145 Alexis Tamas et al. 13937608 BRANCH 103 Harness Dickey (Troy) JIANG, HAIMEI

2164 Schmidt, Olaf 13738686 STEPHENS 103 FISH & RICHARDSON, P.C. (SAP) FERRER, JEDIDIAH P

Tech Center 2400 Networking, Multiplexing, Cable, and Security
2425 ERICSSON AB 14050034 KOHUT 101 102 ERICSSON INC. EKPO, NNENNA NGOZI

2439 Takaya Kato 14510427 KOHUT 103 OLIFF PLC WANG, HARRIS C

Tech Center 2600 Communications
2688 John W. Nicholson et al. 12789751 DESHPANDE 102/103 FERENCE & ASSOCIATES LLC SNIEZEK, ANDREW L

2689 Raj B. Apte et al. 14548337 PER CURIAM 103 THE PROCTER & GAMBLE COMPANY CASILLASHERNANDEZ, OMAR

2689 Raj B. Apte et al. 13551563 PER CURIAM 103 THE PROCTER & GAMBLE COMPANY CASILLASHERNANDEZ, OMAR

2699 Peter Meier et al. 15273591 POTHIER 103/OTDP Apple - Blank Rome c/o Blank Rome LLP GILES, NICHOLAS G

Tech Center 3600 Transportation, Construction, Electronic Commerce, Agriculture, National Security, and License & Review
3635 Sorkin, Felix 15382284 MARSCHALL 103 Adolph Locklar Michael Locklar LAUX, JESSICA L

3655 Norman J. Bird 15156568 REIMERS 103 MACMILLAN, SOBANSKI & TODD, LLC - FORD FLUHART, STACEY A

3663 Oliver Schwindt 14271650 PLENZLER 103 103 MICHAEL BEST & FRIEDRICH LLP (Bosch) CHEN, SHELLEY

3665 Nicholas Bicknell et al. 14201464 BAYAT 101 KOWERT, HOOD, MUNYON, RANKIN & GOETZEL, P.C. SHAAWAT, MUSSA A

3681 Ronnie Jack. Garmon 12567973 PINKERTON 101 ADD&G - 27975 HENRY, RODNEY M

3682 Adam D'Angelo et al. 12853242 KERINS 101 Facebook/Fenwick SITTNER, MATTHEW T

3683 KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V. 14308842 HUTCHINGS 101 PHILIPS INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY & STANDARDS LOFTIS, JOHNNA RONEE

3685 Berger, Richard et al. 13228269 BISK 101/103 Procopio - SPE WINTER, JOHN M

3686 Billye Guthrie et al. 14169251 REPKO 101 WOMBLE BOND DICKINSON (US) LLP/ABBOTT CARDIOVASCUL NG, JONATHAN K

3689 Ethan Hadar et al. 12713557 REPKO 101 Baker Botts LLP/CA Technologies SHANKER, JULIE MEYERS

3693 Esurance Insurance Services, Inc. 14161586 COURTENAY 112(2)/112(4)/101 Mintz Levin/San Diego Office ALLADIN, AMBREEN A

3695 Manuel Becerra et al. 12391010 BARRY dissenting WHITEHEAD JR. 112(1)/112(2) 101 ALSTON & BIRD LLP POLLOCK, GREGORY A

Tech Center 3700 Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing, and Products & Design
3715 Nvidia Corporation 15166635 GUIJT 103 PARKER JUSTISS, P.C./Nvidia GARNER, WERNER G

3732 NIKE, Inc. 14851854 REIMERS 103 Quinn IP Law/NIKE, Inc. MOHANDESI, JILA M

3735 Elbkaily, Marwan et al. 13411136 STEPINA 103 Dykema Gossett PLLC STASHICK, ANTHONY D

3741 UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION 14432437 REIMERS 102 O''''Shea Getz P.C. WALTHOUR, SCOTT J

3745 Christopher S. Mckaveney et al. 13241756 GUIJT 112(1)/102/103 CARLSON, GASKEY & OLDS/PRATT & WHITNEY ADJAGBE, MAXIME M

3752 PHILIP MORRIS PRODUCTS S.A. 15121554 REIMERS 103 41.50 103 MUETING, RAASCH & GEBHARDT, P.A. VALVIS, ALEXANDER M

3761 Guillemot, Francois et al. 14404677 PLENZLER 102/103 41.50 112(2) OBLON, MCCLELLAND, MAIER & NEUSTADT, L.L.P. STAPLETON, ERIC S

3761 APPLIED MATERIALS, INC. 14014947 MARTIN 103 PATTERSON & SHERIDAN, LLP - - APPLIED MATERIALS MURANAMI, MASAHIKO

3792 Cardiac Pacemakers, Inc. 14884417 MARSCHALL 103 112(1) SCHWEGMAN LUNDBERG & WOESSNER/BSC WU, TONG E

deere, ecolab, andrew corp.

custom search

REVERSED
Tech Center 2600 Communications
2675 Ex Parte Braveman et al 11591267 - (D) ADAMS 102 HEWLETT-PACKARD COMPANY ZHENG, JACKY X

Tech Center 2800 Semiconductors, Electrical and Optical Systems and Components
2885 Ex Parte RAMPF 12910463 - (D) BEST 112(2)/103 INGRASSIA FISHER & LORENZ, P.C. (GME) LEE, JONG SUK

The use of terms such as "about," "substantially," and "approximately" does not automatically render a claim indefinite.  See, e.g., Deere & Co. v. Bush Hog, LLC, 703 F.3d 1349, 1359 (Fed. Cir. 2012) ("This court has repeatedly confirmed that relative terms such as "substantially" do not render patent claims so unclear as to prevent a person of skill in the art from ascertaining the scope of the claim."); Ecolab, Inc. v. Envirochem, Inc., 264 F.3d 1358, 1367 (Fed.Cir.2001); Andrew Corp. v. Gabriel Elecs. Inc., 847 F.2d 819, 821 (Fed.Cir.1988)

Andrew Corp. v. Gabriel Electronics, 847 F.2d 819, 6 USPQ2d 2010 (Fed. Cir. 1988) 2173.05(b)

AFFIRMED 
Tech Center 2100 Computer Architecture and Software
2122 Ex Parte Jackson 11668564 - (D) MORGAN 102 HOFFMAN WARNICK LLC STARKS, WILBERT L

Tech Center 2600 Communications
2621 Ex Parte Itkowitz et al 11169271 - (D) COURTENAY 103 3D Systems, Inc. CERULLO, LILIANA P

Tech Center 2800 Semiconductors, Electrical and Optical Systems and Components
2800 Ex Parte LUECKE et al 12341581 - (D) HASTINGS concurring NAGUMO 103 POTOMAC PATENT GROUP PLLC FINEMAN, LEE A

2836 Ex Parte Besser et al 11849242 - (D) KAISER 112(2) BLAKELY SOKOLOFF TAYLOR & ZAFMAN AMRANY, ADI