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
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-6, 8 and 10-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 20200/064414 to Uchida (Uchida).
Regarding claim 1, Uchida discloses a magnetic sensor comprising:
a soft magnetic structure including at least one yoke having a shape long in one direction (Uchida, e.g., Figs. 21-22 (duplicated below), with reference to Fig. 22, for example, soft magnetic structure including first yoke in the form of yoke 51Bc having a shape long in the Y direction; also see paragraph 95, Uchida’s yokes 51 are each formed of a soft magnetic material); and
a magnetic detection element configured to detect a magnetic field generated by the at least one yoke, the magnetic detection element being adjacent to the at least one yoke in a transverse direction of the at least one yoke (Uchida, e.g., Figs. 21-22 (duplicated below), MR elements 90 on either side of yoke 51Bc in X direction, which is transverse direction relative to Y direction of yoke 51Bc), wherein
the soft magnetic structure further includes at least one additional magnetic body arranged next to the at least one yoke in a longitudinal direction of the at least one yoke and located off the at least one yoke in an orthogonal direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction (the examiner notes at the outset that the broadest reasonable interpretation of “magnetic body” includes any body having magnetic properties/characteristics; under this interpretation, Uchida’s yokes 51 in Figs. 21-22 and/or shields 71A-D, 72A-D each constitute a magnetic body; accordingly, with reference to Fig. 22 in a first example, yoke 51Ad constitutes a first additional magnetic body that is arranged next to yoke 51Bc in a longitudinal (Y) direction of yoke 51Bc and is located off of yoke 51Bc in an orthogonal (-X) direction relative to the longitudinal (Y) direction of yoke 51Bc; likewise in the first example, with further reference to Fig. 22, yoke 51Cd constitutes a second additional magnetic body that is arranged next to yoke 51Bc in a longitudinal (Y) direction of yoke 51Bc and is located off of yoke 51Bc in an orthogonal (+X) direction relative to the longitudinal (Y) direction of yoke 51Bc; in the alternative and for purposes of the rejection of dependent claim 5 below only, with reference to Figs. 21-22 in a second example, lower shield 72C constitutes a first additional magnetic body that is arranged next to yoke 51Bc in a longitudinal (Y) direction of yoke 51Bc and is located off of yoke 51Bc in an orthogonal (Z) direction relative to the longitudinal (Y) direction of yoke 51Bc; also see paragraph 120, lower shield 72C is formed of a soft magnetic material).
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Uchida, Fig. 21
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Uchida, Fig. 22
Regarding claim 2, Uchida discloses wherein the at least one additional magnetic body includes a first additional magnetic body located off the at least one yoke in a first direction that is a direction parallel to the orthogonal direction, and a second additional magnetic body located off the at least one yoke in a second direction opposite to the first direction (see Uchida as applied to claim 1, e.g., Fig. 22, yoke 51Ad constitutes a first additional magnetic body that is arranged next to yoke 51Bc in a longitudinal (Y) direction of yoke 51Bc and is located off of yoke 51Bc in an orthogonal (-X) direction relative to the longitudinal (Y) direction of yoke 51Bc; likewise, with further reference to Fig. 22, yoke 51Cd constitutes a second additional magnetic body that is arranged next to yoke 51Bc in a longitudinal (Y) direction of yoke 51Bc and is located off of yoke 51Bc in an orthogonal (+X) direction relative to the longitudinal (Y) direction of yoke 51Bc).
Regarding claim 3, Uchida discloses wherein the at least one additional magnetic body is connected to the at least one yoke (Uchida, e.g., Figs. 21-22, first additional magnetic body in the form of yoke 51Ad and/or second additional magnetic body in the form of yoke 51Cd is at least indirectly connected to yoke 51Bc by virtue of being contained within a common structure).
Regarding claim 4, Uchida discloses wherein the at least one additional magnetic body is located at a distance from the at least one yoke (Uchida, e.g., Figs. 21-22, first additional magnetic body in the form of yoke 51Ad and/or second additional magnetic body in the form of yoke 51Cd is located at a distance from yoke 51Bc).
Regarding claim 5, Uchida discloses wherein: the soft magnetic structure further includes a shield located off the at least one yoke in the orthogonal direction; and the at least one additional magnetic body is connected to the shield (see alternative application of Uchida as applied to claim 1, with reference to Figs. 21-22 in the second example, lower shield 72C constitutes a first additional magnetic body that is arranged next to yoke 51Bc in a longitudinal (Y) direction of yoke 51Bc and is located off of yoke 51Bc in an orthogonal (Z) direction relative to the longitudinal (Y) direction of yoke 51Bc; in Fig. 21, upper shield 71C constitutes a shield located off the yoke 51Bc in the orthogonal (Z) direction; lower shield 72C and upper shield 71C are at least indirectly connected together by virtue of being contained within a common structure).
Regarding claim 6, Uchida discloses wherein: the at least one yoke includes a plurality of yokes; and the at least one additional magnetic body includes a plurality of additional magnetic bodies (Uchida, e.g., Figs. 21-22, with reference to Fig. 22, for example, yoke 51Dc constitutes a second yoke, with yokes 51Ad, 51cD constituting a plurality of additional magnetic bodies; note that yokes 51Ad, 51cD are next to yoke 51Dc in a longitudinal (Y) direction of yoke 51Dc and are located off of yoke 51Dc in an orthogonal (X) direction relative to the longitudinal (Y) direction).
Regarding claim 8, Uchida discloses wherein the number of yokes is N and the number of additional magnetic bodies is less than or equal to 2N, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2 (see Uchida as applied to claims 1 and 6, in Figs. 21-22, yokes 51Bc, 51Dc constitute the number of yokes as claimed (N=2); yokes 51Ad, 51cD constitute the number of additional bodies as claimed (i.e., 2), which is less than 2N (i.e., 4)).
Regarding claim 10, Uchida discloses wherein the at least one yoke includes two yokes adjacent in the longitudinal direction (see Uchida as applied to claim 1, Figs. 21-22, with reference to Fig. 22, for example, Uchida discloses two yokes, e.g., yokes 51Bc, 51Bd, that are adjacent in the longitudinal (Y) direction).
Regarding claim 11, Uchida discloses a magnetic field generator configured to have a magnetization in a direction parallel to the orthogonal direction and generate a magnetic field to be applied to the at least one yoke (Uchida, e.g., Fig. 3 and paragraph 78, magnetic sensor 30 disposed on the inner side of the coil 44 detects the magnetic field generated by the magnet 34A and outputs a detection signal corresponding to the position of the magnet 34A; note in Fig. 3 that magnet 34A has a magnetization in the X direction; also see Uchida as applied to claim 1, magnetic sensor 30 of Figs. 21-22, noting that X direction in Figs. 21-22 is the orthogonal direction, i.e., the X direction is orthogonal relative to the longitudinal (Y) direction of yoke 51Bc).
Regarding claim 12, Uchida discloses the magnetic sensor according to claim 1 (see Uchida as applied to claim 1); and a magnetic field generator configured to have a magnetization in a direction parallel to the orthogonal direction and generate a magnetic field to be applied to the at least one yoke (Uchida, e.g., Fig. 3 and paragraph 78, magnetic sensor 30 disposed on the inner side of the coil 44 detects the magnetic field generated by the magnet 34A and outputs a detection signal corresponding to the position of the magnet 34A; note in Fig. 3 that magnet 34A has a magnetization in the X direction; also see Uchida as applied to claim 1, magnetic sensor 30 of Figs. 21-22, noting that X direction in Figs. 21-22 is the orthogonal direction, i.e., the X direction is orthogonal relative to the longitudinal (Y) direction of yoke 51Bc), wherein the magnetic sensor and the magnetic field generator are configured to change their relative position in the orthogonal direction and so that a strength of the magnetic field changes with a change in the relative position (Uchida, e.g., Fig. 3 and paragraph 84, when currents are passed through the coils 43 and 44 by the non-illustrated control unit, the first holding member 14 with the magnets 33A and 34A fixed thereto moves in a direction parallel to the X direction due to interaction between the magnetic fields generated by the magnets 33A and 34A and the magnetic fields generated by the coils 43 and 44; as a result, the lens 5 (Fig. 1) also moves in the direction parallel to the X direction; a control unit detects the position of the lens 5 by measuring signals corresponding to the positions of the magnets 31A and 34A, which are generated by the two magnetic sensors 30).
Regarding claim 13, Uchida discloses a lens configured to change in position (Uchida, e.g., Fig. 1, lens 5); the magnetic sensor according to claim 1 (see Uchida as applied to claim 1); and a magnetic field generator configured to have a magnetization in a direction parallel to the orthogonal direction and generate a magnetic field to be applied to the at least one yoke (Uchida, e.g., Fig. 3 and paragraph 78, magnetic sensor 30 disposed on the inner side of the coil 44 detects the magnetic field generated by the magnet 34A and outputs a detection signal corresponding to the position of the magnet 34A; note in Fig. 3 that magnet 34A has a magnetization in the X direction; also see Uchida as applied to claim 1, magnetic sensor 30 of Figs. 21-22, noting that X direction in Figs. 21-22 is the orthogonal direction, i.e., the X direction is orthogonal relative to the longitudinal (Y) direction of yoke 51Bc), wherein the magnetic sensor and the magnetic field generator are configured so that a strength of the magnetic field changes with a change in a position of the lens (Uchida, e.g., Fig. 3 and paragraph 84, when currents are passed through the coils 43 and 44 by the non-illustrated control unit, the first holding member 14 with the magnets 33A and 34A fixed thereto moves in a direction parallel to the X direction due to interaction between the magnetic fields generated by the magnets 33A and 34A and the magnetic fields generated by the coils 43 and 44; as a result, the lens 5 (Fig. 1) also moves in the direction parallel to the X direction; a control unit detects the position of the lens 5 by measuring signals corresponding to the positions of the magnets 31A and 34A, which are generated by the two magnetic sensors 30).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7 and 9 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
J. Zhao et al., "Designs of Slope Magnetic Flux Guides for 3-Axis Magnetic Sensor," in IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, vol. 49, no. 10, pp. 5301-5303, Oct. 2013 relates to slope magnetic flux guides applied to GMR sensors, see, e.g., Fig. 2.
US 6,198,607 to Cain et al. relates to a contact planar magnetoresistive head; see, e.g., Fig. 3, gently curving second yoke 9.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIEL R MILLER whose telephone number is (571)270-1964. The examiner can normally be reached 9AM-5PM EST M-F.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Lee Rodak can be reached at (571) 270-5628. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DANIEL R MILLER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2863
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