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To state that something is but one among a field of many possibilities, which of these is the better way to structure it?:

“...executing transmission of the digital content to at least one of a plurality of network destinations...”

or

“...executing transmission of the digital content to at least one among a plurality of network destinations...”

or does the phrase "at least one" even need a mention of pluralities?

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  • That's not answereable, it depends on the context. What are you trying to say? Patent speech is always about saying the exact thing that you are trying to say. – DonQuiKong Jul 3 '17 at 16:30
  • I just modified the statements of the question in order to clarify further. Does that make it more clear? Perhaps it is more of a grammar question; I was hung up on whether "one of" or "one among" sounds better, but maybe either one reads about the same way. – Charles Jul 3 '17 at 16:55
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    To me, it's the same. The important points are probably defining the plurality and making sure that doesn't limit the claims somehow. Furthermore adding that the plurality can be only one, etc. – DonQuiKong Jul 3 '17 at 16:58
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Phrasing for "at least one"

"At least one network destination" means that a situation in which there is only one network destination would still be covered.

"At least one of/among a plurality of network destinations" means that there must be more than one network destination for the claim to be literally infringed, otherwise there would be no plurality.

The former would therefore be broader, in a naive, literal sense.

Choosing between "of" and "among"

I'm reasonably sure these are synonymous. I feel that the former would be more common, but I have no data to support that.

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