Appeal No. 1999-2277
Application 08/803,578
that Kudo cannot anticipate or suggest Appellant’s claimed
magnetic head assembly because Kudo fails to address or solve
the problem associated with the use of an adhesive for
assembling a slider and a flexure and for joining the bonding
pads of the slider and flexure. Brief at page 5.
The Examiner responds that the Kudo teaching of an adhesive
in addition to the bonding joints is just a preferred embodiment
of the Kudo invention. Examiner’s Answer at page 4. The
adhesive, the Examiner asserts, is not required to bond the
slider to the flexible member, but is merely a desired feature
to enable a stronger bond. Examiner’s Answer at page 4.
Further, the Examiner contends that one of ordinary skill in the
art at the time of the invention would have been faced with the
engineering trade-off of strength of bond versus manufacturing
cost. Examiner’s Answer at page 4. The Examiner states that
”[e]liminating the adhesive would decrease the strength of the
bond, but it would also reduce the number of steps in the
manufacturing process. This would make the suspension assembly
easier to assemble and less costly.” Examiner’s Answer at page
4. Concluding, the Examiner asserts that “[i]n the case of
Kudo, the strength of bond is considered more important so the
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