Federal Circuit Holds that Intrinsic Evidence Supports a Broad Claim Construction

The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, in Seabed Geosolutions (US) Inc. v. Magseis FF LLC, Case No. 20-1237 (Fed. Cir. 2021), vacated and remanded a decision by the Patent Trial and Appeals Board which reached a narrower claim construction than supported by intrinsic evidence in the specification.  The Federal Circuit concluded that the intrinsic evidence provided in the specification consistently informed a skilled artisan as to the meaning of the disputed term, and given the clarity of the intrinsic evidence, there was no reason for the Board to resort to extrinsic evidence to alter the meaning of the disputed term.  The Federal Circuit concluded the Board erred in reaching a narrower interpretation.

The opinion is available here: http://www.cafc.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/opinions-orders/20-1237.OPINION.8-11-2021_1817421.pdf