Appeal 2007-3202
Application 10/145,987
3. The Applicants state in the Appeal Brief (Br. 5:4) that claims
1-5, 7-16, and 31-40 stand and fall together.
4. Hines discloses a magnetoresistance sensor having a
“van der Pauw” disk geometry and an embedded concentric metallic
inhomogeneity. (Hines col. 2:55-58; col. 4: 16-18, 38-40; Fig. 1A).
5. Hines states (col. 3:33-37): “A principal object of the
present invention is the provision of a magnetoresistance sensor
comprising a semiconductor material containing a conductive
inhomogeneity where the dimensions of the inhomogeneity are
selected to optimize the magnetoresistance of the sensor.”
6. With regard to claim 1, the Examiner determined that Hines
discloses every feature of the claimed invention except “conductive shields
disposed on opposite sides of the semiconductor mass.” (Answer 3:17-25).
7 The Applicants do not disagree with the Examiner that Hines
does not disclose “conductive shields disposed on opposite sides of the
semiconductor mass.”
8. With regard to claim 1, the Applicants challenge the
Examiner’s finding that Hines discloses “a bias element in proximity to the
semiconductor mass, the bias element producing a biasing magnetic field
within the semiconductor mass.”
9. In column 7, lines 16-22, Hines states:
It should also be straightforward to provide the 0.2T self-
biasing as described in an article by S. A. Solin et al. entitled
“A Self-Biasing Non-Magnetic GMR Sensor: Mercury
Cadmium Telluride in Appl. Phys. Lettrs, vol 69 pages 4105-
4107 (1996) or external biasing necessary to obtain a linear
response close to H=0.
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