Ex Parte Gitis et al - Page 7




           Appeal No. 2003-0065                                                                     
           Application 09/491,284                                                                   

           matter," Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary (G.&C. Merriam Co.                          
           1977).  In our opinion, the definition "to make an integral part                         
           of" must be read in the context of the other definitions to mean                         
           enclosed or surrounded, but, in any case, the claim term                                 
           "embedded within" compels this choice of meanings.  The head 17                          
           in Brezoczky is not "embedded within" the crystal sheet 52.                              
           While Fig. 6 shows a pole tip embedded in the slider, it is not                          
           embedded within in the pads 64.  The rejection of claims 1 and 2                         
           is reversed.                                                                             

                       Claims 10-12, 26, 31, and 33-39                                              
                 Appellants also argue that Brezoczky fails to teach a slider                       
           that includes a pad with a wedge-shaped portion (Br10).  It is                           
           argued that the thin sheet of single crystal material in Fig. 5                          
           has high hardness and therefore does not constitute a pad (Br10).                        
           It is stated (Br10) that claim 10 recites "A slider, comprising                          
           ... a pad which maintains substantially continuous contact with                          
           the medium during the read and write operations."                                        
                 We do not find where the examiner addresses these arguments.                       
           Nevertheless, the thin sheet of single crystal 52 attached to the                        
           slider body 56 in Fig. 5 is considered a "pad."  The contacting                          
           members 64 attached to the slider body 62 in Fig. 6 are also                             
           considered "pads."  The claim does not define the composition of                         
           the pad so as to distinguish over the sheet 52 or members 64.  We                        
           also consider the slider 16 made of a single crystal in Fig. 2 to                        
                                               - 7 -                                                





Page:  Previous  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12  13  14  15  Next 

Last modified: November 3, 2007