DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
Claims 1-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Suenaga et al. (US 2006/0068196).
With regard to claims 1, 3-5 and 7, Suenaga et al. teach a magnetic material, which reads on applicants’ composite member, that comprises metal particles 1, which reads on applicants’ ferromagnetic material part, in the interior of an oxide phase 2, which reads on applicants’ inorganic matrix part [0025]. The matrix phase of the oxide phase is composed of oxide particles, which reads on applicant’ particles of inorganic substances that are continuously present [0028] and [0040]. The oxide phase can be magnesium or aluminum oxide, which are diamagnetic [0034]. The metal particles can be iron particles, which are soft ferromagnetic materials, and they adhere firmly to the oxide phase, which reads on the directly bonding with the inorganic substance [0041] and [0043]. No hydrate was used to make the magnetic material, which reads on claim 7. Figures 1 and 2 show that the volume of the oxide particles 4 of the oxide phase 2 has a larger volume than the metal particles 1.
With regard to claim 2, the composition can be a dense structure that is made by press-molding powders with sintering [0041] and [0080]. Given how the magnetic material was made and the disclosure of it being dense, the magnetic material of the prior art will inherently possess the porosity claimed.
With regard to claim 6, the sintering method of making the magnetic material leads to composite oxide that has a polycrystalline structure [0071].
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GERARD T HIGGINS whose telephone number is (571)270-3467. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:30-6pm.
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/Gerard Higgins/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1785