Case Overview
The Federal Circuit addressed the construction of functional claim limitations in In re Blue Buffalo Enters., Inc., No. 2024-1611, 2026 U.S. App. LEXIS 872 (Fed. Cir. Jan. 14, 2026) (nonprecedential). The Court determined whether the claim terms "configured to" and "configured for" should be interpreted narrowly as “specifically designed to” or more broadly as “capable of.” The Federal Circuit affirmed the decision of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), ruling that PTAB properly construed "configured to" and “configured for” as meaning "capable of."
Factual Background and Procedural History
The dispute involved U.S. Patent Application No. 15/456,152, directed to a wet pet food container. The invention features a storage area defined by a bottom wall and at least one sidewall. The bottom wall contains a "tool portion" for tenderizing food and a deformable “sidewall.”
