Appeal No. 2006-0513
Application No. 09/741,684
pages 2 and 3) is that, in contrast to the claimed invention,
Albrecht has no disclosure of a suspension and slider connection
in which the slider bonding pad is “initially without bonding
substance.” In making this argument, Appellants attempt to draw
a distinction between the suspension/slider connection in
Albrecht in which solder bumps are placed on both the slider and
suspension pads.
After reviewing the Albrecht reference in light of the
argument of record, however, we are in general agreement with the
Examiner’s position as stated in the Answer. Appellants’
arguments to the contrary notwithstanding, the Examiner has, in
our view, construed the claim limitation “initially without
bonding substance” in a reasonable manner. We simply find no
error in the Examiner’s assertion that, as illustrated in Figure
12A of Albrecht, which depicts the slider pad 62 and suspension
pad 64 as they appear before application of the solder bump 122,
the slider bonding pad has no bonding substance. We would also
point out, as also alluded to by the Examiner (Answer, page 6),
that the language of claim 7 does not preclude the condition, as
disclosed in Albrecht, in which, at some point in the
slider/suspension connection process, bonding substance will be
applied to the slider bonding pad.
6
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