Tokyo District Court, 2020 (Wa) 25892 [Smoking Article] <Shibata>
更新日：1 日前
Article information
Article type: Case note
Category: Other Japanese law
Topics: —
First published on this website: 2026-11-01
Display and classification checked: November 2, 2026
Originally published on Ameblo: 2024-07-26 (Japan time). Full English translation.
Tokyo District Court, 2020 (Wa) 25892 [Smoking Article] <Shibata>
Based on Kojien, “mating end” is construed as “having a definite shape, with the two mating ends having complementary shapes that cause them to fit together with almost no gap.” All disclosures in the specification are consistent with this.
⇒ Claim limitation not satisfied
(Excerpt from the court's reasoning)
According to the ordinary meanings of the words in … Kojien (seventh edition), “mating end” is understood to mean an end having a definite shape, with the two mating ends each having complementary shapes and fitting together by virtue of those shapes with almost no gap. …
The specification states that the mating end of the cartridge and the mating end (receiving end) of the control housing fit together. As an embodiment, the cartridge is inserted into the receiving chamber of the control housing, so they can be said to have complementary shapes; …this accords with the above ordinary meaning of “mating.” On the other hand, although the specification … and other passages contain descriptions, none states that a part merely contacting or approaching the end face of the cartridge's mating end constitutes the “receiving end” of the control housing. Nor is there any statement suggesting that “mating” is used in a sense different from the above … ordinary meaning. …
Translator’s notes (editorial)
The source alternates the Japanese spellings 篏合 and 嵌合; both are translated as mating.
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