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
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.
Claim(s) 1 and 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yamazaki et al. USPG Pub. No.: US 2011/0025321.
Regarding Claim 1, Yamazaki teaches a current sensor comprising a conductor through which a to-be-measured current flows and a magnetic sensor arranged on the conductor (see figure 1 and [0004] in which current is detected in order to determine the magnetic field), wherein the magnetic sensor includes:
a substrate (figure 1, 10);
a plurality of magneto-resistive elements disposed on the substrate, wherein a part of the plurality of magneto-resistive elements is assembled into a Wheatstone bridge circuit to form a first sensor, and another part of the plurality of magneto-resistive elements is assembled into a Wheatstone bridge circuit to form a second sensor (see figure 2 in which two Wheatstone bridge configurations, 11 and 12, are present, corresponding to the components of figure 1, in which pads T1-T8 of figure 1 are represented by P1-P8 of figure 2; magneto-resistive elements o figure 1 are shown as elements 1-8, in which sensor 1 is comprised of MR elements 1, 2, 3, 4 and sensor 2 is comprised of MR elements 5, 6, 7, 8); and
a plurality of electrode pads disposed on the substrate, including a first electrode pad connected to a drive terminal of the first sensor and the second sensor (figures 1 and 2, P3 and P7 can be viewed as a single pad that connects to the driving elements of both sensors), a second electrode pad connected to a ground terminal of the first sensor and the second sensor (figures 1 and 2, P4 and P8 can be interpreted as a pad that connects to ground of both sensors), a third electrode pad and a fourth electrode pad each connected to two output terminals of the first sensor (pads 3 and 4 are met with P1 and P2, respectively), and a fifth electrode pad and a sixth electrode pad each connected to two output terminals of the second sensor (pads 5 and 6 are met with P5 and P6, respectively), wherein at least one electrode pad among the third electrode pad to the sixth electrode pad is arranged between the first electrode pad and the second electrode pad in a first direction in which the first electrode pad and the second electrode pad are separated (seen in figure 1 in which part of T5 and T6 are between the first and second pads).
Regarding Claim 15, Yamazaki teaches a current sensor comprising a conductor through which a to-be-measured current flows and a magnetic sensor arranged on the conductor (see figure 1 and [0004] in which current is detected in order to determine the magnetic field), wherein the magnetic sensor includes:
a substrate (figure 1, 10);
a plurality of magneto-resistive elements disposed on the substrate, wherein a part of the plurality of magneto-resistive elements is assembled into a Wheatstone bridge circuit to form a first sensor, and another part of the plurality of magneto-resistive elements is assembled into a Wheatstone bridge circuit to form a second sensor (see figure 2 in which two Wheatstone bridge configurations, 11 and 12, are present, corresponding to the components of figure 1, in which pads T1-T8 of figure 1 are represented by P1-P8 of figure 2; magneto-resistive elements o figure 1 are shown as elements 1-8, in which sensor 1 is comprised of MR elements 1, 2, 3, 4 and sensor 2 is comprised of MR elements 5, 6, 7, 8); and
a plurality of dummy pads disposed on the substrate, including a first dummy pad connected to a drive terminal of the first sensor and the second sensor (figures 1 and 2, P3 and P7 can be viewed as a single pad that connects to the driving elements of both sensors), a second dummy pad connected to a ground terminal of the first sensor and the second sensor (figures 1 and 2, P4 and P8 can be interpreted as a pad that connects to ground of both sensors), a third dummy pad and a fourth dummy pad each connected to two output terminals of the first sensor (pads 3 and 4 are met with P1 and P2, respectively), and a fifth dummy pad and a sixth dummy pad each connected to two output terminals of the second sensor (pads 5 and 6 are met with P5 and P6, respectively), wherein at least one dummy pad among the third dummy pad to the sixth dummy pad is arranged between the first dummy pad and the second dummy pad with respect to a first direction in which the first dummy pad and the second dummy pad are separated (seen in figure 1 in which part of T5 and T6 are between the first and second pads).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-14 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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL A HARRISON whose telephone number is (571)272-3573. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM.
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/MICHAEL A HARRISON/Examiner, Art Unit 2852
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