(f) a
buffer.
[Wherein the italicized limitations were relevant to the District Court s claim construction and this appeal.]
Maia s products contain amino acids in addition to the synthetic peptide hormone, which Bracco contended satisfy the buffer, surfactant and/or solubilizer limitations recited in the claims. The issue thus resolved as whether these claim limitations encompassed amino acids. One aspect of the District Court s construction was that dependent claims recited Markush groups for these limitations that contained amino acids for each. Another aspect was that the specification recited particular definitions of these terms that encompassed amino acids within their scope. These characteristics of the specification formed the basis for the District Court s construction of the terms buffer, surfactant, and solubilizer to include amino acids (among in each instance many other species). Following claim construction, Maia stipulated infringemen