Appeal No. 1998-2500
Application No. 08/276,154
formatter to provide a qualified sector signal as required by the language of claim 6. (See
answer at page 6.) Appellants argue that data transfer on the next track does not begin until
the physical servo operation is complete and is not executed during the servo operation.
(See brief at page 14.) We agree with appellants. Further, appellants argue that claim 6
requires “the microcontroller providing a start data transfer signal to the formatter while the
servo positioner positions the head over the desired track, the formatter beginning the data
transfer in response to receiving the qualified sector signal from the track change circuit and
after receiving the start transfer signal from the microcontroller.” Appellants further argue that
during the previous servo step of positioning of the head, the microcontroller is already
determining whether additional data is to be transferred and is providing the start data
transfer signal to the formatter. (See brief at page 14.) We agree with appellants. From our
review of Figure 4 of Anderson concerning the timing of all the processing and switching, it is
clear that Anderson discloses overlap of various steps in the conventional process.
Furthermore, the examiner maintains that Anderson teaches the “relevant structure,” but the
examiner
has not identified the “relevant structure” in Anderson beyond citing to column 9, lines 14-16.
(See answer at page 7.) We do not agree with the examiner’s conclusion. The examiner
equated the “sector ID on the new track” to receiving the qualified sector signal from the track
change circuit as required by claim 6. We disagree with the examiner. The sector ID is read
from the medium not from a track change circuit. From our understanding of Anderson,
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