Appeal No. 97-3469
Application 08/188,427
Mowry discloses a dual-gap MR head which faces a
medium 12, as shown in Figs. 3-4, the dual-gap head
having: a write gap 44, 48, 50 (means for writing) which
defines a shadow over a track of a recording medium. The
means for writing would include at least the width of the
top pole 48 to at most the width of middle magnetic
pole 50 and insulative layer 44 (please see column 4,
lines 50-59). From this, the writing means defines a
shadow over the track of at least the width of pole 48
and as large as the width of middle pole 50 (as shown in
FIG. 4). Mowry further shows a read gap 52 (means for
reading) which is spaced from the write gap and is
considered to be the middle active portion 72 of the MR
element positioned between the contacts 58 (please see
column 4, lines 59-63 along with column 5, lines 18-21).
From the description above and FIG. 4, it is considered
that the read gap is completely within the "shadow" of
the write gap 44. Furthermore, since the write gap
shadow is larger than the read gap shadow, Mowry shows an
inside buffer area and an outside buffer area.
The examiner's finding that the shadow of the write gap could
be "as large as the width of middle pole 50" (EA4) was not
presented in the Examiner's Answer. Appellants reply as
follows (RBr1-2):
The Examiner's contention that the write gap of
Mowry writes a pattern as wide as middle pole 50 is not
supported by Mowry. Mowry does not state nor suggest
that the flux path between top pole 48 and middle pole 50
extends the full width of middle pole 50. In fact, Mowry
never discusses the width of the information actually
written to the track. . . . The Examiner is merely
guessing that the information written to the track would
be as wide as middle pole 50 instead of relying on a
teaching found in Mowry. Therefore, the statement that
the writing means defines a shadow over the track "as
large as the width of middle pole 50" is unsupported by
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