REVERSED
Tech Center 1600 Biotechnology and Organic Chemistry
1613 Ex Parte Gore et al 14104663 - (D) FREDMAN 103/OTDP LERNER, DAVID, LITTENBERG, KRUMHOLZ & MENTLIK SONG, JIANFENG
1619 Ex Parte Samain et al 13378569 - (D) TOWNSEND 103 JONES ROBB, PLLC (w/Nony & Partners) PROSSER, ALISSA J
Tech Center 1700 Chemical & Materials Engineering
1798 Ex Parte Mott et al 14824635 - (D) ROBERTSON 102/103 NAVAL RESEARCH LABORATORY KWAK, DEAN P
Tech Center 2400 Networking, Multiplexing, Cable, and Security
2483 Ex Parte Tzur et al 13828226 - (D) FRAHM 103 Paradice and Li LLP/Qualcomm REN, ZHUBING
Tech Center 2600 Communications
2667 Ex Parte Zaitsev et al 14461216 - (D) CHUNG 102/103 LENOVO-JVL C/0 LESLIE A. VAN LEEUWEN YANG, WEI WEN
Tech Center 2800 Semiconductors, Electrical and Optical Systems and Components
2828 Ex Parte Das et al 13835342 - (D) HOUSEL 102/103 MYERS BIGEL, P.A. MARUF, SHEIKH
A central issue in this appeal is the proper construction of the limitation "a dopant concentration of at least 2.0 x 1019 cm-3 to a depth of 3000 A" as recited in claim 1. See Amazon.com, Inc. v. Barnesandnoble.com, Inc., 239 F.3d 1343, 1351 (Fed. Cir. 2001) ("Only when a claim is properly understood can a determination be made ... whether the prior art anticipates and/or renders obvious the claimed invention."). The Examiner takes the position that the broadest reasonable interpretation of this limitation is that the doping regions have a dopant concentration of at least 2.0 x 1019 cm-3 and the doping regions are doped to a depth of 3000 A (see Final 3; Ans. 5). On the other hand, Appellant's position is that this limitation should be interpreted such that the doping regions have a dopant concentration profile of at least 2.0 x 1019 cm-3 all the way to a depth of 3000 A (see Appeal Br. 6-7; Reply Br. 2).
...
This limitation, as recited in claim 1, uses the operative term, "to," which according to Appellant functions to indicate a limit or extent (Reply Br. 2). We find that the definition of "to" is that it is a function word that can serve a variety of different purposes including as an indication of movement, direction, contact, limit, extent, relative position, purpose, intention, tendency, result, proportion, etc. We first note that, though "to" is a function word that has a variety of different purposes, none of those purposes is as a coordinating conjunction as the Examiner's position requires. In addition, we find that one of ordinary skill in the art would have understood, in light of Appellant's Specification, that "to" as used in the limitation in question in claim 1 is a function word indicating a limit or extent. Thus, the broadest reasonable construction of the limitation in question is, as Appellant contends, the doping regions have a dopant concentration profile of at least 2.0 x 1019 cm-3 all the way to a depth of 3000 A.
Tech Center 3600 Transportation, Construction, Electronic Commerce, Agriculture, National Security, and License & Review
3679 Ex Parte Bellin et al 13510880 - (D) KERINS 103 STERNE, KESSLER, GOLDSTEIN & FOX P.L.L.C. LAMBE, PATRICK F
3679 Ex Parte SHAFER et al 14325589 - (D) GUIJT 102/103 ConocoPhillips Company WOOD, DOUGLAS S
Tech Center 3700 Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing, and Products & Design
3775 Ex Parte Asnis et al 14146347 - (D) GRIMES 102/103 TAROLLI, SUNDHEIM, COVELL & TUMMINO L.L.P. BOLES, SAMEH RAAFAT
AFFIRMED-IN-PART
Tech Center 2400 Networking, Multiplexing, Cable, and Security
2466 Ex Parte Oksman et al 11732968 - (D) SAADAT 103 103 Eschweiler & Potashnik, LLC CRUTCHFIELD, CHRISTOPHER M
Tech Center 2600 Communications
2689 Ex Parte Pal 14032115 - (D) MANTIS MERCADER 112(2)/103 103 Seed IP Law Group/DISH Technologies (290110) TERRELL, EMILY C
Tech Center 3600 Transportation, Construction, Electronic Commerce, Agriculture, National Security, and License & Review
3649 Ex Parte Keggenhoff et al 12544267 - (D) MURPHY 102/103 102/103 41.50 112(4) Covestro LLC REIS, RYAN ALEXANDER
3671 Ex Parte FOSTER et al 13711653 - (D) HOELTER 103 112(2) CNH INDUSTRIAL AMERICA LLC MISA, JOAN D
AFFIRMED
Tech Center 1600 Biotechnology and Organic Chemistry
1616 Ex Parte Dumousseaux 11100566 - (D) FREDMAN 103 OBLON, MCCLELLAND, MAIER & NEUSTADT, L.L.P. CHUI, MEI PING
Tech Center 1700 Chemical & Materials Engineering
1733 Ex Parte Baker et al 14823441 - (D) HANLON 103 Burris Law, PLLC ROE, JESSEE RANDALL
1782 Ex Parte Finley et al 13847072 - (D) ROBERTSON 103 Sealed Air Corporation PATTERSON, MARC A
1787 Ex Parte Toyama et al 13910605 - (D) CASHION 103 WESTERMAN, HATTORI, DANIELS & ADRIAN, LLP SHUKLA, KRUPA
1789 Ex Parte Sugiura et al 13377289 - (D) INGLESE 103 OBLON, MCCLELLAND, MAIER & NEUSTADT, L.L.P. WORRELL, KEVIN
2155 Ex Parte Bardwil 14489913 - (D) BEAMER 101 103 DISNEY ENTERPRISES, INC. C/O FARJAMI & FARJAMI LLP HOFFLER, RAHEEM
2166 Ex Parte Bagley et al 11314984 - (D) WINSOR 103 CRGO LAW LIN, SHEW FEN
Tech Center 2400 Networking, Multiplexing, Cable, and Security
2484 Ex Parte Ackley et al 13590116 - (D) BUSCH 103 DISNEY ENTERPRISES, INC. C/0 FARJAMI & FARJAMI LLP CHOWDHURY, NIGAR
2498 Ex Parte AMULOTHU et al 14525339 - (D) DIXON 103 IBM END IPLA W (GLF) c/o Garg Law Firm, PLLC KING, JOHN B
Tech Center 2600 Communications
2645 Ex Parte Huque et al 13583157 - (D) WHITEHEAD JR. 112(2)/103 Seed IP Law Group LLP/ST (EP ORIGINATING) DU, HUNG K
Tech Center 2800 Semiconductors, Electrical and Optical Systems and Components
2825 Ex Parte Sridhara 14679644 - (D) BEST 103 TEXAS INSTRUMENTS IN CORPORA TED BUl,THA-OH
2857 Ex Parte POOLE 13398060 - (D) CASHION 101/103 Patent Portfolio Builders, PLLC SCHECHTER, ANDREW M
Tech Center 3600 Transportation, Construction, Electronic Commerce, Agriculture, National Security, and License & Review
3678 Ex Parte Emborg 14356509 - (D) GUIJT 103 TAROLLI, SUNDHEIM, COVELL & TUMMINO L.L.P. TOLEDO-DURAN, EDWIN J
Tech Center 3700 Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing, and Products & Design
3735 Ex Parte Osorio 13333235 - (D) FITZPATRICK 101/103 Stephen Eisenmann CATINA, MICHAEL ANTHONY
3737 Ex Parte Barthe et al 13863249 - (D) ADAMS 112(2) 103 Quarles & Brady LLP/Guided Therapy Systems, LLC MOHAMMED, SHAHDEEP
3739 Ex Parte Cao et al 12893707 - (D) PRATS 103 Wiley Rein LLP GOOD, SAMANTHA M
3762 Ex Parte INUI et al 12570213 - (D) PESLAK 112(1) SUGHRUE-265550 BERTRAM, ERIC D
3763 Ex Parte Horvath et al 13138305 - (D) HOELTER 103 Dickinson Wright - BD CARPENTER, WILLIAM R
