功能性特征的除外情形和限缩性解释——深圳华泽兴业公司、广州同明公司侵害实用新型专利权案

On the Exception and the Constrictive Interpretation of the Functional Feature

功能性特征含义广泛,不仅要限定其内容,还要排除其例外情形,并对其进行适度限缩性解释,否则,难以作出正确的专利侵权判断。某项技术特征只包含特定的功能(或效果)并非一定属于功能性特征,所属领域普通技术人员仅依据专利权利要求的记载即可直接、明确地确定其具体实施方式的除外。功能性特征的保护范围以专利说明书、附图中实现该功能(或效果)所不可缺少的技术特征为准,被诉侵权的技术特征与功能性特征在功能和效果上完全相同时才构成侵权。

The functional feature has a wide range of meanings.It is necessary to limit the content,to exclude the exception,and to moderately constrict the interpretation of the functional feature.Otherwise it is difficult to make a correct judgment to the patent infringement involving the functional feature.A technical feature that contains only specific function(or effect)is not necessarily the functional feature,except that ordinary technicians in the fi eld can directly and clearly determine the specifi c implementation only on the basis of the record of the patent claim.The protection scope of the functional feature is based on the technical feature indispensable to the realization of the function(or effect)in patent specifi cation and drawings.The accused technical feature constitutes infringement only when it is identical to the functional feature in function and effect.