Ex Parte Girault et alDownload PDFPatent Trial and Appeal BoardMay 25, 201612296860 (P.T.A.B. May. 25, 2016) Copy Citation UNITED STA TES p A TENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE APPLICATION NO. FILING DATE 12/296,860 10/10/2008 22908 7590 03/03/2016 BANNER & WITCOFF, LTD. TEN SOUTH WACKER DRIVE SUITE 3000 CHICAGO, IL 60606 FIRST NAMED INVENTOR Guillaume Girault UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE United States Patent and Trademark Office Address: COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS P.O. Box 1450 Alexandria, Virginia 22313-1450 www .uspto.gov ATTORNEY DOCKET NO. CONFIRMATION NO. 007035.00121 2053 EXAMINER THOMAS, CIEL P ART UNIT PAPER NUMBER 1754 NOTIFICATION DATE DELIVERY MODE 03/03/2016 ELECTRONIC Please find below and/or attached an Office communication concerning this application or proceeding. The time period for reply, if any, is set in the attached communication. Notice of the Office communication was sent electronically on above-indicated "Notification Date" to the following e-mail address( es): eofficeaction@bannerwitcoff.com PTOL-90A (Rev. 04/07) UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE BEFORE THE PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD Ex parte GUILLAUME GIRA ULT and PHILIPPE CANTIN Appeal2014-006290 Application 12/296,860 Technology Center 1700 Before 1\1ICHi\~EL P. COLiUi\J'Jl'H, Ji\~CQUELINE \VRIGHT BONILLi\~, and BRIAND. RANGE Administrative Patent Judges. RANGE, Administrative Patent Judge. DECISION ON APPEAL Appeal2014-006290 Application 12/296,860 SUMMARY Appellants appeal under 35 U.S.C. § 134 from a rejection of claims 1- 38. We have jurisdiction. 35 U.S.C. § 6(b). We AFFIRM. STATEMENT OF CASE Appellants 1 describe the present invention as relating to "extraction and treatment of airborne effluents produced by electrolytic cells designed for the production of aluminium."2 Spec. 1: 1 :5. Claims 1 and 35 are independent. Claims 1 and 35, reproduced below, are illustrative of the claimed subject matter: 1. System for collecting effluents produced by a plurality of electrolytic cells intended for the production of aluminium and for drawing said effluents away from the cells in a flow of gas, said system comprising hoodings to confine the effluents of each cell, a plurality of outlet channels connected to said plurality of cells, including a first outlet channel connected to a first cell of the plurality of cells, to collect said flow of gas and suction means, including a conduit that is common to the plurality of cells and the plurality of outlet channels, such that the outlet channels connect the plurality of cells to the conduit to draw said flow of gas away from the cells through said outlet channels, said hoodings each including removable hoods to get access to the inside of the hoodings, wherein said system further comprises at least one pipe comprising: a first end that is directly or indirectly connected to a pressurized air supply; and 1 According to the Appellants, the real party in interest is Aluminium Pechiney. Appeal Br. 2. 2 In this opinion, we use the spelling "aluminum" (the more common spelling in the United States) except where a quotation uses the United Kingdom spelling "aluminium." 2 Appeal2014-006290 Application 12/296,860 a second end that is located inside said first outlet channel, includes at least one aperture and is oriented and arranged so that pressurized air can be projected through said aperture in a manner that increases the rate of said flow of gas within said first outlet channel independently of the rate of said flow of gas within at least one other of the outlet channels. 35. System for collecting effluents produced by at least first and second electrolytic cells intended for the production of aluminium and for drawing said effluents away from the first and second cells in a flow of gas, said system comprising a first hooding to confine the effluents of the first cell and a second hooding to confine the effluents of the second cell, a first outlet channel connected to said first cell and a second outlet channel connected to said second cell to collect said flow of gas and suction means, including a conduit that is common to at least the first and second cells and the first and second outlet channels, such that the first and second outlet channels connect the first and second cells to the conduit to draw said flow of gas away from the first and second cells through said first and second outlet channels, said first and second hoodings each including removable hoods to get access to the inside of the first and second hoodings, wherein said system further comprises: a first pipe comprising: a first end that is directly or indirectly connected to a first pressurized air supply; and a second end that is located inside said first outlet channel, includes at least one aperture and is oriented and arranged so that pressurized air can be projected through said aperture in a manner that increases the rate of said flow of gas within said first outlet channel independently of the rate of said flow of gas within said second outlet channel; and a second pipe comprising: a first end that is directly or indirectly connected to a second pressurized air supply; and 3 Appeal2014-006290 Application 12/296,860 a second end that is located inside said second outlet channel, includes at least one aperture and is oriented and arranged so that pressurized air can be projected through said aperture in a manner that increases the rate of said flow of gas within said second outlet channel independently of the rate of said flow of gas within said first outlet channel. REFERENCES The Examiner relied upon the prior art below when rejecting the claims on appeal: Broussard us 2,556,899 June 12, 1951 Gar denier us 3,782,074 Jan. 1, 1974 Dethloff et al. us 4,176,019 Nov. 27, 1979 (hereinafter, "Dethloff') Duprat et al. us 4,668,352 May 26, 1987 (hereinafter, "Duprat") Ni us 5,070,707 Dec. 10, 1991 Michaels us 5,186,793 Feb. 16, 1993 Huang et al. us 2006/000914 7 Jan. 12,2006 (hereinafter, "Huang") Paziaud EP 0 329 498 Al Aug. 23, 1989 Amphoux EP 0 772 003 Al May 7, 1997 Girault et al. 3 FR 2 848 875 Dec. 18, 2002 (hereinafter, "Girault") REJECTIONS The Examiner made the following rejections: Rejection 1. The Examiner rejected claims 1-38 as failing to comply with the written description requirement of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. § 112. 3 U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0289290 provides an English translation to Girault. 4 Appeal2014-006290 Application 12/296,860 Rejection 2. The Examiner rejected claims 1-3, 16-21, 23-2 9, and 32-38 under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as unpatentable over the combination of Duprat and Amphoux. Rejection 3. The Examiner rejected claims 1-3, 6, 9-13, 20, 21, 23, 24, and 34-38 under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as unpatentable over the combination of Duprat and Broussard. Rejection 4. The Examiner rejected claims 4 and 5 under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as unpatentable over the combination of Duprat and Amphoux or Duprat and Broussard in further view of Gardenier. Rejection 5. The Examiner rejected claims 7 and 8 under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as unpatentable over the combination of Duprat and Broussard in further view of Paziaud. Rejection 6. The Examiner rejected claim 14 under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as unpatentable over the combination of Duprat and Amphoux in further view of Girault. Rejection 7. The Examiner rejected claim 15 under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as unpatentable over the combination of Duprat and Amphoux in further view of Huang. Rejection 8. The Examiner rejected claim 22 under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as unpatentable over the combination of Duprat and Amphroux or Duprat and Broussard in further view of Dethloff. Rejection 9. The Examiner rejected claim 30 under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as unpatentable over the combination of Duprat and Amphroux in further view of Michaels. 5 Appeal2014-006290 Application 12/296,860 Rejection 10. The Examiner rejected claim 31 under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as unpatentable over the combination of Duprat and Amphoux in further view of Ni. ANALYSIS Rejection 1. The Examiner rejected claims 1-3 7 based on the claims having the limitation "that the rate of the flow of gas within the outlet channel can be increased independently of the rate of gas flow within the other channels" and this limitation not being found in the originally filed disclosure. Final Act. 2. Appellants respond by arguing that this limitation is disclosed at 14: 18-15: 18 of the Specification and is inherently disclosed by the Specification's figures and described configurations. App. Br. 6-7. Assessment of this issue first requires proper construction of the claims at issue, and specifically the term "independently" in certain clauses of claims 1 and 35. Under a broadest reasonable construction standard, claim 1 and claim 3 5 both require that increases in the rate of flow coming from a pipe in the first outlet happen independently (i.e., without requiring or relying on something else or being contingent upon) the flow of gas within other outlet channels. See WEBSTER'S NINTH NEW COLLEGIATE DICTIONARY 612 (Merriam-Webster Inc. 1985) (defining "independent" as "not requiring or relying on something else: not contingent .. . ");see also Spec. 14:18-15:18. The claims' plain language does not require, as the Examiner suggests (Ans. 16), that increased flow in one cell have "no effect on other cells in the interconnected system." We agree with Appellants that the Specification taken as a whole, and particularly at 14: 18-15: 18, reasonably conveys to those skilled in the art that the inventors had possession of the claimed subject matter as of the 6 Appeal2014-006290 Application 12/296,860 filing date. Cf Ariad Pharm., Inc. v. Eli Lilly & Co., 598 F.3d 1336, 1351 (Fed. Cir. 2010) (en bane) (citation omitted); see also In re Smith, 481 F.2d 910, 914 (CCPA 1973) ("claimed subject matter need not be described in haec verba in the specification in order for that specification to satisfy the description requirement") (citation omitted). In particular, the Specification explains that the gas flow rate "of a cell" I "of the cell" (emphases added) depends upon whether "all hoods (21) are in place" or whether "a tapping door is opened." Spec. 15:3-18. The Specification is reasonably read as referring to the hoods and tapping door of the individual cell. See, e.g., id. at Fig. 5 (illustrating that one cell may have many hoods). Thus, the Specification adequately describes a reason not to make increased pipe flow rate contingent upon the flow of other channels. Accordingly, the Examiner's rejection of claims 1-37 under 35 U.S.C. § 112, first paragraph, is reversed. Rejection 2. The Examiner rejected claims 1-3, 16-21, 23-29, and 32-38 as obvious over Duprat andAmphoux. Appellants only address independent claims 1 and 35. Thus, we limit our discussion to those claims. Claims dependent on claim 1 or claim 3 5 will stand or fall with the corresponding independent claim. 37 C.F.R. § 41.37(c)(l)(iv) (2013). Duprat teaches a system for collecting gas flow of effluents produced by aluminum electrolytic cells. Final Act. 4; Duprat 1 :9-13. It teaches removable cell hoodings and outlet channels (ducts) connected to the plurality of cells. Final Act. 4; Duprat 3:31--43, Figs. 1, 2. The Examiner admits that Duprat does not teach a pipe within an outlet channel arranged so that pressurized air increases the channel's flow rate. Final Act. 4. Duprat does, however, teach that effluent collection rate must be increased when 7 Appeal2014-006290 Application 12/296,860 tank covers are open and teaches the use of shutters to adjust the collection rate. Final Act. 5; Duprat 2:33-58, 5:37-46. Amphoux does not discuss effluents in aluminum processing. Amphoux, however, is entitled "Device for drawing off a gas through a conduit for venting it." Amphoux discusses injecting gas through a pipe and into a duct to "assist in the removal of gases when the normal draw of gases is insufficient." Final Act. 5. Amphoux explains that its system has the advantage of flexibility in that the physical characteristics of the nozzles can be varies and the flow can be modulated according to requirements. 4 We agree with the Examiner's findings that the combination of Duprat and Amphoux teaches the apparatus of claims 1 and 35. Final Act. 4-6, 12- 15. In addition, for the reasons stated by the Examiner, we also agree that it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill to modify Duprat with the injection means of Amphoux to improve extraction rate. Final Act. 5-6; Ans. 4. We find by a preponderance of the evidence that a person of ordinary skill would recognize that Amphoux's technique of assisting gas removal would improve Duprat in the same way it improves Amphoux's embodiments. For example, Amphroux's technique could assist if Duprat's shutter-based system provides insufficient increased suction because too many covers are opened at the same time. Final Act. 5; Duprat 7: 6-16. Improvement of Duprat in this fashion is no more than predictable use of prior art elements according to established functions. Cf KSR Int 'l Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S. 398, 417 (2007). We reach these findings and our 4 Line and page number citations to Amphoux are not provided because the translated copy of Amphoux with line and page numbers referenced by the Examiner is not part of the record available for our review on appeal. 8 Appeal2014-006290 Application 12/296,860 conclusion based on the teachings of Duprat and Amphoux cited above and based upon the passages of Duprat and Amphoux cited by the Examiner. Thus, we conclude that claims 1 and 35 would have been obvious over the combined teachings of Duprat and Amphoux. Appellants' two arguments opposing this conclusion are not persuasive. Appellants first argue that the cited references do not disclose a pipe projecting pressurized air to increase gas flow rate in a single channel independently of other outlet channels. App. Br. 8. Amphoux, much like the Specification, teaches that it provides increased flow based on the needs of the duct it is in and does not suggest that this depends on the flow in other channels. Moreover, although Amphoux does not explicitly discuss its use in one of many channels in a distributed system, the combination of Amphoux and Duprat meets this limitation. See, e.g., Duprat Figs. 1, 2. Thus, Appellants' first argument fails because each cited references must be read, not in isolation, but for what it teaches in combination with the prior art as a whole. In re Merck & Co., Inc., 800 F.2d 1091, 1097 (Fed. Cir. 1986). Second, Appellants argue that there is no rationale to combine Duprat and Amphoux. App. Br. 9-11. Appellants state that Duprat "already purports to achieve a superior solution for increasing the extraction rates in an individual cell" (id. at 10) (emphasis original). Neither Duprat nor Amphoux, however, indicate that Amphoux's technique could not substitute for or be used in conjunction with Duprat' s shutters. Likewise, neither reference indicates that Duprat's shutters are "superior" to Amphoux. Appellants also argue that there is a vast difference in the scale of claim 1 as compared to the scale of Amphoux. Id. at 10-11. Claim 1, however, has no 9 Appeal2014-006290 Application 12/296,860 limitations specific to scale, and Appellants cite no passage of Amphoux suggesting that its use is limited based on scale. For the reasons explained above, there is ample reason to combine Duprat and Amphoux. With respect to claim 35, Appellants also argue that neither Duprat nor Amphoux teach the use of two pipes in two different outlet channels. App. Br. at 11. The Examiner explains, however, that Duprat teaches a plurality of cells, and it would have been obvious to implement Amphoux within the ventilation of each cell. Ans. 5-9; Duprat 2:1-13, 3:31-43, Figs. 1, 2. We agree with the Examiner's findings and conclusion in this regard. Appellants' argument fails to address what the combined teachings would have suggested to the ordinarily skilled artisan. In re Keller, 642 F.2d 413, 425 (CCPA 1981). Thus, we affirm the Examiner's rejection of 1-3, 16-21, 23-29, and 32-38 as obvious over Duprat and Amphoux. Rejection 3. The Examiner rejected claims 1-3, 6, 9-13, 20, 21, 23, 24, and 34-38 as obvious over Duprat and Broussard. Appellants only address independent claims 1 and 35. Thus, we limit our discussion to those claims. Claims dependent on claim 1 or claim 35 will stand or fall with the corresponding independent claim. 37 C.F.R. § 41.37(c)(l)(iv) (2013). The Examiner relies on Duprat for its teachings discussed above. Broussard, much like Amphroux, does not discuss effluents in aluminum processing. Broussard is entitled "GAS REMOVING DEVICE." It teaches a system for injecting pressurized gas into ventilating ducts to increase air flow. Final Act. 16-17; Broussard, Fig. 1, 1 :47-53; 2:42:49. Broussard explains that its design has the advantages, for example, of having the ability to move its apparatus from one section of a vessel to another, removing large volumes air in minimum time, utilizing steam or air pressure that may 10 Appeal2014-006290 Application 12/296,860 already be available, being able to flexibly adjust nozzles as needed, and being applicable to widely different duct diameters. Broussard, 1:47-53; 3: 14-20; 4: 1-4. Broussard also explains that its efficient, simple, and rugged apparatus has no moving parts and is "capable of a wide range of application and adjustment to particular conditions and circumstances of use." Id. at 5:10-15. We agree with the Examiner's findings that the combination of Duprat and Broussard teaches the apparatus of claims 1 and 3 5. Final Act. 15-1 7, 21-23. We also agree with the Examiner that it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill to modify Duprat with the injection means of Broussard to improve extraction rate. Final Act. 17; Ans. 11. We find by a preponderance of the evidence that a person of ordinary skill would recognize that Broussard's technique of assisting gas removal would improve Duprat in the same way it improves Broussard' s embodiments. See, e.g., Broussard 3:55-70, 4:5-13. For example, Broussard's technique could assist if Duprat's shutter-based system provides insufficient increased suction because too many covers are opened at the same time. Final Act. 5; Duprat 7:6-16. Improvement of Duprat in this fashion is no more than predictable use of prior art elements according to established functions. Cf KSR Int'! Co., 550 U.S. at 417. We reach these findings and our conclusion based on the teachings of Duprat and Broussard cited above and based upon the passages of Duprat and Broussard cited by the Examiner. Thus, we conclude that claims 1 and 3 5 are obvious over Duprat and Broussard. Appellants raise the same arguments with respect to the combination of Duprat and Broussard as they raise with respect to the combination of Duprat and Amphroux. Appeal Br. 12-16. We do not find those arguments 11 Appeal2014-006290 Application 12/296,860 persuasive for the reasons explained above. Thus, we affirm the Examiner's rejection of claims 1-3, 6, 9-13, 20, 21, 23, 24, and 34-38 as obvious over Duprat and Broussard. Rejections 4-10. For each of these rejections, the Examiner cites an additional reference as teaching elements of dependent claims. For each rejection, the Examiner provides rationales for why the additional reference may be properly combined with the combination of Duprat and Amphroux and/ or the combination of Duprat and Broussard. Final Act. 24--40. In response, Appellants rely on arguments made for claims 1 and 3 5. Appeal Br. 16-20. Those arguments are unpersuasive for the reasons explained above. Appellants also provide boilerplate argument that each of the additional references "does not provide any reason or rationale that would lead one skilled in the art to combine these references as proposed by the Office Action." Id. We agree with and adopt the Examiner's undisputed findings of fact concerning the additional references and the rationales for combining. Cf Ex parte Belinne, No. 2009-004693 (BPAI 2009) (informative) (affirming where "Appellants do not present any arguments to explain why the Examiner's explicit fact finding is in error"). We also agree with the Examiner's obviousness conclusions and affirm the Examiner's rejections of claims 4, 5, 7, 8, 14, 15, 22, 30, and 31. DECISION For the above reasons, we reverse (1) the Examiner's rejection of claims 1-3 8 as failing to comply with the written description requirement of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. § 112. We affirm the Examiner's rejections of claims 1- 38 as obvious under 35 U.S.C. § 103. In particular, we affirm the following: 12 Appeal2014-006290 Application 12/296,860 (2) the Examiner's rejection of claims 1-3, 16-21, 23-29, and 32-38 under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as unpatentable over the combination of Duprat and Amphoux; (3) the Examiner's rejection of claims 1-3, 6, 9-13, 20, 21, 23, 24, and 34-38 under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as unpatentable over the combination of Duprat and Broussard; (4) the Examiner's rejection of claims 4 and 5 under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as unpatentable over the combination of Duprat and Amphoux in further view of Gardenier as well as the rejection of claims 4 and 5 under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as unpatatable over the combination of Duprat and Broussard in further view of Gardenier; (5) the Examiner's rejection of claims 7 and 8 under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as unpatentable over the combination of Duprat and Broussard in further view of Paziaud; (6) the Examiner's rejection of claim 14 under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as unpatentable over the combination of Duprat and Amphoux in further view of Girault; (7) the Examiner's rejection of claim 15 under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as unpatentable over the combination of Duprat and Amphoux in further view of Huang; (8) the Examiner's rejection of claim 22 under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as unpatentable over the combination of Duprat and Amphroux in further view of Dethloff as well as the rejection of claim 22 under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as unpatentable over the combination of Duprat and Broussard in further view of Dethloff; 13 Appeal2014-006290 Application 12/296,860 (9) the Examiner's rejection of claim 30 under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as unpatentable over the combination of Duprat and Amphroux in further view of Michaels; and (10) the Examiner's rejection of claim 31under35 U.S.C. § 103 as unpatentable over the combination of Duprat and Amphoux in further view of Ni. No time period for taking any subsequent action in connection with this appeal may be extended under 37 C.F.R. § l.136(a). AFFIRMED 14 Notice of References Cited * Document Number Country Code-Number-Kind Code A US- B US- c US- D US- E US- F US- G US- H US- I US- J US- K US- L US- M US- * Document Number Country Code-Number-Kind Code N 0 p Q R s T Date MM-YYYY Date MM-YYYY Application/Control No. 12/296,860 Examiner PTAB U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS Name FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS Country Name NON-PATENT DOCUMENTS Applicant(s)/Patent Under Reexamination Art Unit 1700 I Page 1 of 1 Classification Classification * Include as applicable: Author, Title Date, Publisher, Edition or Volume, Pertinent Pages) u MERRIAM-WEBSTER'S NINTH NEW COLLEGIATE DICTIONARY 612 (Merriam-Webster Inc. 1985). v w x *A copy of th1sreference1s not being furnished with this Office action. (See MPEP § 707.05(a).) Dates in MM-YYYY format are publication dates. Classifications may be US or foreign. U.S. Patent and Trademark Office PT0-892 (Rev. 01-2001) Notice of References Cited Part of Paper No. Copyright© 1985 by Merriam-Webster Inc. Philippines Copyright 1985 by Merriam-Webster Inc. Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Main entry under title: Webster's ninth new collegiate dictionary. Based on Webster's third new international dictionary. Includes index. 1. English language-Dictionaries. I. Merriam- Webster Inc. PE1628.W5638 1985 423 84-18979 ISBN 0-87779-508-8 ISBN 0-87779-509-6 (indexed) ISBN 0-87779-510-X (deluxe) Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary principal copyright 1983 COLLEGIATE trademark Reg. U.S. Pat. Off. All rights reserved. No part of this work covered by the copyrights hereon may be re- produced or copied in any form or by any means-graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, taping, or information storage and retrieval systems-without written permission of the publisher. Made in the United States of America 11121314RMcN85 i.;_·.cu;:r-efit \-:}nt, -raont\ ~dj [i · iricurrent-, incurrens, prp. of incurrere] i~!c8u5r~~i~li\;~~~~~~h~~\0: [M~"f/h~po~stwf\~{P, fr. L incursion-, incursio, fr. incursus, pp. of incurrere] (15c) 1: a hostile entrance into a territory : RAID 2 : an entering in or into (as an activity or undertak- ing) (his only~ into the arts) i~~c~~;:!ei~~~-;~:}{-~v;~D ~"i~~~~~~v~t;v\~·:~k;;~~~~~ (~~i~~~:}=r-~~t\3~dj :cl,~(;)~r:~~;~~~t(~1~(~~~\-;a-sh~n\ n - in°cur•va·ture \(')in-b-v~- in•curve \(1)in-1k:}rv, 'in-,\ vt [L incurvare, fr. in- + curvare to curve, fr. curvus curved - more at CROWN] (I Sc): to bend so as to curve inward i~~~~. y;'.l;~~~~e'::e fi /66i)·~eti~i~;~~r:~1);z~~~?~k~r-ig;:.,' s~arl ~~n;~ in the ear of a mammal - called also anvil; see EAR illustration i~;c~~~ ~n~'tJ~;,; i~kb~~ ~j ~~;~~~s~~..J'fc1Ws{~~':,'~~ds~;'ft~~~i~~ I~d~~~d~\~ngdi\ nClJ~ld ~h~~~la?t ~lfnctY~ns2o~t;~tI~%;: their design ind· or indi- or indo- comb farm [ISV, fr. L indicum - more at INDIGO] i:.~;.l,~i~fn~idtb~f~>n fiu[~sr;,~J'~b~g 1fl~/~0 c~i~~Y cs~0~j;i(i1°fN~~6N- FERENCE. PARLEY in•da•gate \'in-da-,gat\ vt ·gat·ed; -gat0ing [L indagatus, pp. of indagare, fr. indago act of enclosing, investigation, fr. OL indu in + L agere to drive - more at INDIGENOUS, AGENT] (1623): to search into: INVESTl- GATE- in·da-ga·tion \,in-da-'ga-sh~n\ n -in·da·ga.tor \'in-da-,gat-~r\ n ind•amine \'in-d~-,men\ n [ISV] (1888) : any of a series of organic bases of which the simplest has the formula C 12H 11 N 3 and which form salts i~~d~bt~:du\i~~~~~-~~\ :djd[~E~n'Ye~~ed, fr. OF endete, pp. of endeter to involve .in debt, fr. en-.+ dete debt] (13c) 1 : owing money 2 : ow- i~~Jet't~:d~~~:s0~ (j6~~)'hl~ ~h:~~~~j~i~:~fi~inE: indebted 2 : some- thing (as an amount of money) that is owed i?~~~::;cy2 \<'~~~~~hl~~(:~ ~ ~~~9~r a~ii~~) 1%~~1i:1n°Je~!~~e of being in°de-cent \-'nt\ adj [MF or L; MF indecent, fr. L indecent-, indecens, fr. in- + decent-, decens decent] (IS63) : not decent; esp : grossly un- seemly or offensive to manners or morals syn see INDECOROUS - in- de·cent-ly adv indecent assault n (1861): an immoral act or series of acts exclusive of rape committed against another person without consent i(~:~~~tg~~ft~~:>rn na ~I~~) ~~~ri:~~~h~~~~~~~:r: li'~e~~rt1o 0~e0;:·~1fe~~~ against the generally accepted standards of decency in.Cle0ci0pher0able \,in-di-'si-f(~-)r~-bal\ adj (1802) : incapable of being deciphered in·de-ci·sion \,in-di-'sizh-~n\ n [F indecision, fr. indecis undecided, fr. LL indecisus, fr. L in- + decisus, pp. of decidere to decide) (ca. 1763) : a wavering between two or more possible courses of action : IRRESOLU- TION in°de-ci·sive \,in-di-'si-siv\ adj (1726) 1 : not decisive: INCONCLUSIVE 2 : marked by or prone to indecision : IRRESOLUTE 3 : not clearly i~d~~ii!.~%1~ \j~-%~1:1~fi:~~~i~e~~?[ir::~: f~~LLi~d~~ift:~st~T;,"f:,s Lin- ~o!:'eLat~~~L~~i~~s (I~)~h11~~i~ei~1;, i~~ae~t;,'!;tf ~~l~~fl~ti~~~ to inflect - in°de0com0pos·able \,in-,de-bm'.lpo-z~-bal\ adj (1807): not capable of being separated into comJ?onent parts or elements i~~~e~o;f~c?.,s,,,~·~~~r~~~rll6~21n,-~~~~~i~~~~~~ i.:%~~;::;~~-fys~~~ - in·de-co•rous·ness n syn INDECOROUS, IMPROPER, UNSEEMLY, INDECENT. UNBECOMING. INDELI- CATE mean not conforming to what is accepted as right, fitting, or in good taste. INDECOROUS suggests a violation of accepted standards of ~f~~l~a~~:~~l;~~~~~~aiPJ;}~~~:~r ab~~0~f~~hl~~F~~~c~i~~s;:}~s~fc~i procedure or l'rescribed method; UNSEEMLY adds a suggestion of spe- cial inappropnateness to a situation or an offensiveness to good taste; ~~fe;~~T t~mr~~~ar~'!i\t~~s~eeu~~~~~~~o g;~~~e~!!eb~h!~~~ ~~Pia~~ guage t~at does not suit one's character or status; INDELICATE implies a lack of modesty or of tact or of refined perception of feeling. in·de•CO•rum \,in-di-'kor-~m. -'kor-\ n [L, neut. of indecorus] (1 S7S) 1 : something that is indecorous 2 : lack of decorum : IMPROPRIETY in-deed \in-'ded\ adv (14c) 1: without any question : TRULY, UNDENI- ABLY - often used interjectionally to express irony or disbelief or sur- prise 2: in reality 3: all things considered : as a matter of fact in·de-fat-i0ga.ble \,in-di-'fat-i-ga-b~l\ adj [MF, fr. L indefatigabilis. fr. in- ciE_f('°IJ~i'r l~!:~~bi~· !! · :ei~~1;1igitl~'i~';;;1~~N~~uin:de.la?ti~g!~ ~~;\t~ ~-l~~~:f:i.~~~~i;\-bie\aJ~·de0fat-i0ga0ble0ness \-'fat-i-g~-b~l- in·de0fea0si0ble \-'fe-w-bal\ adj (1 S48): not ca!l,"ble of being annulled or ~ig;.~e~fe~~s1.i'le ~~f'.,'.;~~b1~~)adv in°de.fea·si· il·i-tY \-,fe-w-'bil-~t-e\ n in·de·fec·ti·ble \-lrek-t~-b~l\ adj (1659) 1 : not subject to failure or deeay : ~ASTING 2 : fr.., qi fau)~s : FLAWLESS - m0de·fec•ti·biJ.i0ty i~i:.~~:;'.~'i?i,11-:\~1e':iw-~~~t~f\c~~jb?; i2i)k-tr~•; ~~~apable of being maintained as right or valid : UNTENABLE b : incapable of being justi- fied or excused : INEXCUSABLE 2 : incapable of being protected a&ainst f,hysical attack - in·de0fen•Si•bil0i•ty \-,fen(t)-s~-'bil-~t-e\ n - m·de· in~3;~fi~~~bl~1\~·?.?~s~:~11\' ~~J (1690) : incapable of being precise! de- scribed or analyzed - in·de·fin·abil-i•ty \-,fi-na-'bil-at-e\ n - indefin- able n - in·de0fin°able0ness \-'fi-n~-bal-n~s\ n - in°de0fin°ably \-ble\ adv in·.~e!·~·!1!t~ \(')in_-·~e!;(~:-)n=>t\ adj[~ -~'J<:/_e[~'!i!'!~·,!_~·-~~_:_+ _ _!i~[~':~~!~~~!i.:; ~fri!d~1.i.~ti=~~u:d~n~ 1~~~~f.1i:!;i,~e~~~~~t~nl- i:'.1 r:umb.:r - inde in iy~~~\i~1; integral n (ca. 1877): any fuw.::tlon w~~~e derivative is a g;~'\ in·de0his0cent \,in-di-'his-'nt\ adj (1832): remammg closed "11, <~fruits)- m0de0his-cence \-'n(t)s\ n at tnatur; 1 , in·deJ.i·ble \in-'del-~-b~l\ adj [ML indelibi/is, alter. of Linde/ b'. Y ;;; ~~~~~ 10 f~le~l~i~g2~at :~~: ~~~~~1t ~~;i't'b~e~~~a"sh~ !~~~- pencil) 3 : LASTING, UNFORGEITABLE- in-deJ.i·blJ.i.ty \( )i~vedd Copy with citationCopy as parenthetical citation