1. Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) Project Guidelines, v.2
Instructions for Identifying and Extracting Patent Claim Terms and Their Associated Constructions
Connie Godsey-Bell
Global Content and Project Specialist
January 12, 2016

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Contents
Goal of the Project..................................................................................................................................................................................................................2
How Terms and Constructions are Defined...............................................................................................................................................................................3
Web Site for Final Decisions of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PRPS) ..................................................................................................................................4
How to Locate Informationin PTAB Final Decisions..................................................................................................................................................................4
Examples fromVarious PTAB Decisions....................................................................................................................................................................................7

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Goal ofthe Project
The goal of the projectis to identify and extract claim terms and constructions (definitions) in Patent Trial and Appeal Board
(PTAB) final decisions.
Note the following points and guidelines:
 The terms, constructions (definitions), and associated metadata will be stored in a centralfile. The data will be used to
facilitate patent research, litigation, and analytics.
 Only the terms construed by Administrative Patent Judges should be included. Terms construed by Patent Examiners
or parties to the case should not be included.
 The following terms, constructions (definitions) and case metadata should be extracted:
Data to be Extracted Example
Term substantially flat
Construction (definition) flat, with any aberration fromflat being limited to a degree
that would not materially affect the relationship of the
container top surfacewith the crests of the first and second
seal rings, such that the firstseal ring will contact the top
surfaceand begin to deformbefore the second seal ring
contacts the top surface
Case name Ex parte TERRY ZEIGLER, ERICELIAS, and CHRISTOPHE
BARREAU
Case number Appeal No. 2013001487
Last name of the Judge who authored the decision Horner
Application number 11/677,643
Patent number 7,104,561
Publication number 20070131408A1
Paragraph In light of Appellant's Specification, we construethe term
"substantially flat" to mean flat, with any aberration from

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flat being limited to a degree that would not materially
affect the relationship of the container top surfacewith the
crests of the firstand second seal rings, such that the first
seal ring will contact the top surfaceand begin to deform
before the second seal ring contacts the top surface
Standalone term or partof a phrase Part of a phrase
Descriptivemeaning or ordinary Meaning Descriptive
Related terms No examples exist at this time
How Terms and Constructions are Defined
As noted above, the main goal of the projectis to locate the terms and constructions (definitions) thatappear in the PTAB
final decisions. The points below are background information related to terms and constructions.
 Disputesaboutpatentsare broughtbefore the PTAB. The judgesinthe PTABwill make a rulingonthe dispute.
 While decidinghowtorule on the dispute,the PTABjudgesmustoften(butnotalways) define agivenwordorphrase that is usedinthe claimsof the
disputedpatent.
 Words andphrasesusedinthiscontextare called“claimterms”orsimply“terms.” The processof definingthemiscalled“construction.” Thiswordis
derivedfromthe legal word“construe,”whichmeanstointerpret. Therefore,apatenttermconstructionisa legal interpretationof thatterm.
 Some termsconsistof onlyone word,but some termsare phrases. Constructionscanconsistof onlya fewwordsora sentence. Sometimesa
constructionconsistsof a long,complex paragraph. Forexample,atermsuchas “enforcing”mightbe constructedbythe PTAB to mean“a meta-right
meanshavinga repository,basedoninformationwithinthe meta-rightand,optionally,specifiedinone ormore state variablesorconditions,perform
actionsto create,manipulate,modifyorrevoke aderivedmeta-rightora usage right.” It is not unusual toencounteracomplex paragraphasa
constructionof a patentterm.
 Termsand constructionsare oftensurroundedbydouble quotes. The double quotesshouldnotbe includedaspartof the term or construction.
 Notall final decisionswill containtermsandconstructions. Some will containadiscussionof termconstruction,butwill notincludeactual termsand
constructions.If noactual termsare constructed,the word“None”shouldbe enteredinplace of a term.The Constructionfieldshouldbe blank.

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Structure ofa Final Decision of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board
The Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) final decisions are originally published in PDF formaton the United States Patent
and Trademark Officeweb site called the Patent Review Processing System. Thedecisions are downloaded and formatted for
Lexis on a weekly basis.
Howto Locate Informationin PTAB Final Decisions
1) The example below shows a Lexis version of a PTAB final decision. Information extracted fromthe PDF is indicated in the
comments:

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2) Terms and constructions may be found throughoutthe decision. The language in which they appear varies. The words
“we construe,” “weinterpret,” or similar language beginning with “we” is a signal that the judges construed a term.
This projectdoes not include terms interpreted, defined, or construed by patent examiners or parties to the case. It
only includes terms construed by judges.

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3) A reference to a dictionary definition may appear following the term and construction.

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Examples from Various PTABDecisions
Example 1

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Example 2. Terms and Constructions are sometimes found embedded in a discussion of a party’s construction. The judges may agree with the
party’s construction. The words “We agree with appellant” can be signal words.

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Example 3. Terms and Constructions are sometimes found in a list under “Findings of Fact.” When they appear in that location, they are judges’
constructions.

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Example 4: A discussion of a term may appear in the middle of the text and may refer to earlier text.
Example 5: In this example, the same dictionary reference is used twice. The reference “Id.” Indicates that the same dictionary reference is used
for the term “frustrum” as was used for the term “plug.” The full dictionary reference should be repeated. Do not use the reference “Id.”

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