Appeal No. 2006-1869
Application No. 10/396,814
finding is not disputed by the appellants.
The appellants’ basic position is to the effect that
Matsumura is silent with regard to surface roughness (SRa,
SRz) values of the backcoat layer.
The examiner’s position on this issue is that
Matsumura teaches that the surface roughness
characteristics SRa and SRz of the back surface of an MRM
are result-effective variables which affect sliding
smoothness. Matsumura does disclose SRa and SRz values
within the ranges recited in the instant claims (Matsumura:
Abstract; Table 1-example 1), but only with respect to the
exposed back surface of layer 1b of non-magnetic support 1.
Apparently, it is the examiner’s position that it
would have been obvious, within the context of 35 U.S.C.
§ 103, to follow the guidance provided by Matsumura with
regard to surface roughness when a backcoat layer (rather
than the second layer of the non-magnetic support) is used
as the outermost layer on the back surface of a MRM in
order to maximize sliding smoothness. We agree.
In other words, when a backcoat layer is the outermost
exposed layer, it logically follows that one of ordinary
skill in the art would want it to have the same roughness
characteristics as taught by Matsumura for exposed layer 1b
4
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 Next
Last modified: November 3, 2007