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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Thanks Richard and Jeffrey.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">To be clear, I am not claiming the box. My claims are quite different. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">The examiner is applying the box as prior art.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">And I used the box to explain the examiners construction of the prior art. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">I was trying to figure out how adjacent sides (e.g., a top and a side of a box), could be considered opposite lateral sides of that box.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black">From:
</span></b><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black">Patentpractice <patentpractice-bounces@oppedahl-lists.com> on behalf of Patentpractice Patentpractice <patentpractice@oppedahl-lists.com><br>
<b>Reply-To: </b>Patentpractice Patentpractice <patentpractice@oppedahl-lists.com><br>
<b>Date: </b>Friday, April 26, 2024 at 5:01 PM<br>
<b>To: </b>Patentpractice Patentpractice <patentpractice@oppedahl-lists.com><br>
<b>Cc: </b>Richard Straussman <rstraussman@weitzmanip.com><br>
<b>Subject: </b>Re: [Patentpractice] Help with meaning of English words -- please<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:Helvetica">Can't you simply dispense with the issue entirely by replacing "adjacent" with the word "abuts" (<i>i.e.</i>, LS abuts T on a first side of T and RS abuts T on a second side
of T opposite the first side)?</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><strong><span style="font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:blue">Richard Straussman</span></strong><b><span style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:navy"><br>
</span></b><span class="c4"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Senior Counsel</span></b></span><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif"><br>
</span></b><span class="c6"><b><span style="font-size:8.0pt">Registered Patent Attorney</span></b></span><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif"><br>
</span></b><span class="c6"><span style="font-size:8.0pt">Member NY, NJ & CT Bars</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif"><br>
</span><strong><span style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:#989898">. . . . . . . . . . . . . .</span></strong>
<span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif"><br>
<strong><span style="font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:maroon">Weitzman Law Offices, LLC</span></strong><span style="color:maroon"><br>
<strong><span style="font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif">Intellectual Property Law</span></strong><br>
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<strong><span style="font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif">direct line</span></strong></span><span class="c16">
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</span><span class="c13"><span style="font-size:8.0pt"><a href="mailto:rstraussman@weitzmanip.com">rstraussman@weitzmanip.com</a></span></span><span style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:maroon"><br>
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<strong><u><span style="font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif"><a href="http://www.weitzmanip.com/">http://www.weitzmanip.com</a></span></u></strong><b><u><br>
</u></b><br>
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<br>
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">On 4/26/2024 4:31 PM, Patent Lawyer via Patentpractice wrote:<o:p></o:p></p>
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<blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt">
<p class="MsoNormal">Friends, Colleagues, anyone: Help me out please. It is Friday afternoon, and I am stuck.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><img border="0" width="371" height="213" style="width:3.8645in;height:2.2187in" id="Picture_x0020_1" data-outlook-trace="F:0|T:1" src="cid:image001.png@01DA97FC.E16D2430"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The prior art teaches a box, as shown above. The box has a left side (LS), a top side (T), and a right side (RS). The top side (T) is directly adjacent to the left side (LS) and directly adjacent to the right side (RS). The left and
right sides (LS, RS) are on opposite sides of the box. The left and right sides (LS, RS) have no contact with each other.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">By directly adjacent, I mean next to and touching. It is just a box!
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">(Aside: I seem to recall a Federal Circuit claim construction of adjacent that was effectively transitive X was next to Y which was next to Z. X was not next to Z. and the Federal Circuit said that X and Z were adjacent but thats
an aside.)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Anyway, in my case, a patent examiner considers directly adjacent sides of the box to be "opposite lateral sides" of the box. According to this patent examiner,
<u>the top side (T) is "on an <b><i>opposite lateral</i></b> side" of the box to the right side (RS).
</u> How is T <u>opposite</u> RS?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I'll give the examiner the benefit of the doubt, but I just dont get it. What am I missing? Does the word "opposite" have a meaning that could encompass "directly adjacent" in this scenario?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">If you can, please explain (even under some BRI) how directly adjacent sides of a box (like T and RS) can be "opposite lateral sides" of the box.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Thank you.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br>
<br>
<o:p></o:p></p>
</blockquote>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br>
<br>
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">-- Patentpractice mailing list Patentpractice@oppedahl-lists.com http://oppedahl-lists.com/mailman/listinfo/patentpractice_oppedahl-lists.com
<o:p></o:p></p>
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