“So you claim…”

Claim interpretation!

The infamous “the applicant can be his own lexicographer” line!

Limiting and non-limiting claim preambles!  How you determine the meaning of every single last word in a claim!

Actually, pretty interesting stuff. One thing some people had trouble with was understanding what, exactly, the preamble might be limiting.  The answer, I think, is simply “the claim.”  If the preamble is non-limiting, then you don’t have to use the anticipated application (or other description) in your prior art search.  You don’t have to worry about it in terms of it changing the scope of the claim.  If it is limiting, then you do have to consider those things.  Not that it is that simple, but at least it’s a start.

We had a very entertaining presentation on Harassment.  No need to go into it.

We  had a presentation on “wellness” (part of the “soft-skills” curriculum) and dress at the office.  Now, as of this writing, there is no official USPTO dress code.  Our presenter was kind enough to point this out at the beginning.  So I’m not sure why, exactly, they decided it would be a good idea to give us strong suggestions about what to wear/not wear.  I suppose it is a reasonable aspect of professional development… but confusing if you had earlier understood the dress-standards to be somewhat different.

Anyway, it looks like things are going to start to ramp up this coming week.  I’m looking forward to it!

~Relativity