Tokyo District Court, 2021 (Wa) 10171 [Folding Table] <Kokubu>
更新日：2 日前
Article information
Article type: Case note
Category: Patents
Topics: —
First published on this website: 2026-11-01
Display and classification checked: November 2, 2026
Originally published on Ameblo: 2024-08-08 (Japan time). Full English translation.
Tokyo District Court, 2021 (Wa) 10171 [Folding Table] <Kokubu>
*Even the corresponding portion of the specification imposed no limitation on the “separation-biasing means” beyond describing it as biasing means “for separating the two leg members from one another.”
⇒ It was not interpreted as a functional claim.
⇒ Literal claim limitation satisfied
(Excerpt from the court's reasoning)
…From the above wording of element C, the “separation-biasing means” is found to mean means disposed on the “underside of the tabletop,” capable of biasing “two leg members” located “at positions facing each other across the axis about which the tabletop member rotates” in directions “separating them from one another.” …
On this point, the defendant argues that element C is a so-called functional claim and its technical scope is therefore limited to structures identical to those disclosed in the specification or their equivalents. However, the claims impose no such limitation as the defendant asserts on the “separation-biasing means.” Nor does the portion of the specification considered to correspond to element C impose any limitation beyond stating that it is biasing means “for separating the two leg members from one another” ([0009]). Accordingly, the defendant's argument cannot be accepted.
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November 1, 2026: First published on this website.
November 2, 2026: Added article information, classification, topics, language navigation, related articles where the same case was confirmed, consultation guidance, and SEO. The original text and first-published date were preserved.
