Appeal No. 2004-2166
Application No. 09/492,557
coupling the keeper structure and the sense layer. Moreover, the
examiner has not established that Hurst does not have a reference
layer between the keeper structure and the sense layer.
The examiner argues that the keeper structure of Hurst
performs the same function as the appellant’s keeper structure of
pinning end vectors of the sense layer (answer, page 15). In
support of this argument the examiner relies upon column 7,
lines 32-34 of Hurst, which states: “In most cases, the magneto-
resistive material has edge domains that are magnetized in a
particular direction, regardless of whether the incident magnetic
field is applied.” This disclosure merely states that the edge
domains are magnetized in a particular direction. It does not
state that the end vectors are pinned in that direction by the
keeper structure.
The examiner, therefore, has not established a prima facie
case of anticipation of the appellant’s claimed invention by
Hurst.
Rejection over Hurst considered with Chen
The examiner argues (answer, pages 7-8):
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary
skill in the art at the time the invention was made to
use a soft or hard ferromagnetic material to stabilize
the magnetization of the edge regions of the sense
layer in Hurst in a direction perpendicular to the easy
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