Extract to table

Impact on Scope of "Adiabatically Coupled" The Court's construction of "adiabatically coupled" imposes four distinct requirements that any accused coupler design must satisfy: 1

A gradual taper — the taper must vary smoothly and gradually in width, not abruptly or in discrete steps

A continuous taper — the taper must be continuous, without segmentation, discontinuities, or discrete coupling sections

Designed and configured to prevent higher-order mode excitation — the taper must be designed and configured such that higher-order optical modes are not excited during the mode transition

Over the entire transition length — the above properties must be maintained over the entire length of the taper transition, not merely at discrete points or in isolated sections

Under well-established law, every limitation of a claim must be met, either literally or by a substantial equivalent, for infringement to exist