Addressing for the first time whether a functional limitation
must carry the same meaning in all claims, the US Court of Appeals
for the Federal Circuit determined that it need not, vacating a
district court decision to the contrary. Vascular Sol. LLC
v. Medtronic, Inc., Case No. 2024-1398 (Fed. Cir. Sept. 16,
2024) (Moore, Prost, JJ.; Mazzant, Dist. J.,
by designation).
The seven patents asserted by Teleflex syin this case all come
from a common application and are directed to a “coaxial
guide catheter that is deliverable through standard guide catheters
by utilizing a guidewire rail segment to permit delivery without
blocking use of the guide catheter.” The asserted patents all
share a common specification. However, the asserted claims differ
in how they refer to the “side opening.” Some claims
include the side opening as part of the “substantially rigid
portion/segment” while other claims recite that the side
opening is separate and distal to the “substantially
