Appeal No. 2001-1268
Application No. 09/100,698
OPINION
With regard to Best, the examiner points out that Best
discloses a disc drive, as seen in Figures 1 and 2, comprising a
slider, as in Figures 8A-D, supportable over a rotatable disc 16,
and a stiction reducing means, identified as elements 120, 122,
132, 134, 136, 138 and 140.
Since the stiction reducing means is set forth in instant
claim 3 in “mean plus function” language, the examiner compares
the structure of Best with the instant disclosure, concluding
that the Best arrangement of air bearing surfaces 110, 112 that
are provided to fly the slider with the air bearing surfaces
above the disc surface, and a plurality of landing pads 120, 122,
132, 134, 136, 138, 140, each having a contact surface which
extends by a first height below the ABS’s toward the disc
surface, and extends by a second height greater than the first
height from a recessed surface farther from the disc surface than
the ABS’s (Figures 8A-9F), is structurally equivalent to
appellants’ invention.
With regard to Okada, the examiner points out that Okada
discloses a disc drive having a slider 1 supportable over a
rotatable disc 11 and stiction reducing means 9. The
-4–
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Next
Last modified: November 3, 2007