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First, combinations that I expect to be typical of patents and not to be found in contracts or

legislation:

1. DESIRED / DESIRABLE/DESIRABLY (maybe related to the requirement of description ofbest mode and to mark that a feature is not essential to the invention patented)

2. PREFERRED / PREFERABLE/PREFERABLY (related to the requirement of description ofbest mode and to mark that a feature is not essential to the invention patented)

Then conceptual vagueness (use of nouns, I include some examples):

1. Vehicle (could mean: car, truck, motorbike, train, tram, etc.); apparatus; embodiment;arrangement; array; device; system; substance; characteristics; configuration;

component; construction; liquid; gas; product; engine; machine; process; structure;

etc) . Basically hyperonyms (see whether we can establish a standard pattern of

reference how the degree of vagueness is established) I presume that for legislation

and contracts we may have lists of three (as far as I can remember there are two

different interpretations for these lists depending on the surrounding context).

2. Personal watercraft (could mean different types of boat and submarine)3. Transmission (referring to mechanical means of distribution of movement and which

can have several modes of achieving this transmission)

4. Imaging system / image forming apparatus / colour image forming apparatus / imagetransfer system/ etc (are all ways of referring actually to printers and photocopiers in

patents); cyclonic separator/ dust collection unit / mulcher / cleaning apparatus /

cyclonic separating apparatus / etc. (basically a vacuum cleaner) These are

examples of how they choose vaguer ways of referring to relatively specific objects.

5. Determination of hyperonymical nouns (In some + noun, For some + noun, In somecases, In some circumstances, (to) some certain +noun, verb + some degree, In some

instances, of some kind, (at least) some of the + noun, some or all, some other

(way/type/parameter/cases), some type of,

6. Any one of; any additional; any amount of; any appropriate; in any case, ; anycombination of; any component/compound/composition; any convenient; anyconventional; any conventionally; any data; any different; any event(s); any further;

any given; any means of/to/for/known/ that; any number of; any of the/a; any or all;

any other + adjective + noun; any particular; any remaining; any such; any suitable; any

problem; any significant; any type of.

7. Every / no / several // this/these // that/those / other / at least8. Sufficient / necessary / reasonable / substantial / satisfactory / suitable/ conventional

Vagueness in mode (adverbs and modal verbs)

1. See what happens with: may, can, could, should, would, shall.2. Use of the following adverbs: generally, particularly, substantially, usually, abnormally,accidentally, actually, additionally, automatically, basically, conventionally,

dramatically / drastically, especially, essentially, eventually, exceptionally, gradually,

ideally, integrally, normally, optionally, partially, potentially, preferentially, specifically,

typically, usually, clearly, early, nearly, similarly, easily, momentarily, necessarily,

ordinarily, primarily, readily, satisfactorily, temporarily

3. Conditional sentences (your article with Heller 2007)Other expressions:

1. And/or (Mellinkoff p.306); or/and (Mellinkoff p.317)2. Said (common in patents and contracts; Mellinkoff p.318)3. Whereas (Mellinkoff p. 321)4. Lists of two and lists of three (in contracts and maybe in legislation)

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5. Verbs and corresponding participles which are hyperonymic (attach/attached,associate/associated, extending/extended, transmit/transmitting,

associate/associated, etc.

6. Expressions indicating intervals and ranges7. Any other that I may have skipped8.

Referencials (see the table below):

Aforementioned Previously mentioned in doc. Aforenamed Previously mentioned in doc.

Aforesaid Previously mentioned in doc. Aforethought Done on purpose

forthwith immediately foregoing preceding

Notwithstanding In spite of, although Therein In that place, time or matter

Hereafter From now on Thereby Through the agency of that,

connected with that

Hereinafter In a subsequent part of this

document

Therefrom From this or that time, place,

state, event, or thing

Hereinbefore In a preceding part of this

document

Thereof Because of this

Hereby By means of this document Thereto To this or that, furthermore

Herein In this, in this circumstance Thereunder Under this or that

Herewith Along with this document Thereupon In consequence

Heretofore Previously, until now Therewith With this, in consequence

Hereto To this time, place or end Whereas Seeing that

Hereunder In accordance with this doc. Whereat For which reason

Hereof Of this, about this, from this Whereby By or through which

Hereon On this, hereupon Wherefore For which reason

Hereunto See hereto Wherein In which place or situation

Hereupon Following immediately after Whereof Of which, or of whom

Hitherto Until now Whereon On which

Thereinafter In a following part of the doc. Whereto To which, or to whom

Thereinbefore In a preceding part of the doc Whereupon In consequence of which

Thereafter From that time on Wherewith By means of which

Thereat At that event, place or time Wherewithal See wherewith