DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted 01/23/2025 and 09/25/2025 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement has been considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1 recites the limitation “approximately parallel " in line 3 and 8 “approximately perpendicular" in line 4 and “approximately equal angles" in line 14.
It‘s not clear how much deviation from parallel or perpendicular or equal is permitted by the term approximately.
Claims 2-14 inherit the same deficiency due to dependency on claim 1.
Claim 15 recites the limitation “approximately perpendicular" in line 5.
It‘s not clear how much deviation from perpendicular is permitted by the term approximately.
Claims 16-17 inherit the same deficiency due to dependency on claim 15.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102 of this title, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim 15 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over CHEN et al. (US 20140176132 A1) in view of YAMAZAKI et al. (US 20140292321 A1).
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Regarding claim 15, CHEN teaches a magnetic sensor (Fig. 4 shows two-axis magnetic field sensor 250), comprising:
a first magnetic field sensing element that includes a magnetic field sensing axis parallel to a first direction (Fig. 4 item 250A shows X-Axis Sensor 250a is sensitive to magnetic fields in the X-axis Paragraph [0040]-[0041]);
a second magnetic field sensing element that includes a magnetic field sensing axis parallel to a second direction approximately perpendicular to the first direction (Fig. 4 item 250B shows Y-Axis Sensor 250b is sensitive to magnetic fields in the Y-axis; Paragraph [0040]-[0041]); and
a substrate that supports the first magnetic field sensing element and the second magnetic field sensing element (Fig. 1A & 4 item 90 illustrates a top-view of a two-axis magnetic field sensor 250 disposed on a single substrate or separate substrates Paragraph [0025 & 0040]); wherein:
the first magnetic field sensing element includes a first magnetization free layer in which magnetization direction is caused to rotate by an external magnetic field (Fig. 1A & 4 shows X-axis sensor 250a comprises first and second free magnetization fields 118a, 118b which rotate in the plane when an external magnetic field is applied Paragraph [0033]), a first magnetization fixed layer in which magnetization direction is fixed in the first direction (Fig. 1A & 4 shows X-axis sensor 250a comprises pinned layers 114a, 114b which is fixed in a bisection direction 350 Paragraph [0041]), a nonmagnetic first spacer layer located between the first magnetization free layer and the first magnetization fixed layer (Fig. 1A & 4 shows X-axis sensors 250a comprises a first tunneling layer 115a, 115b formed of non-magnetic material Paragraph [0027], [0028]), and
the second magnetic field sensing element includes a second magnetization free layer in which magnetization direction is caused to rotate by an external magnetic field (Fig. 1A & 4 shows Y-axis sensor 250b comprises first and second free magnetization fields 218a, 218b which rotate in the plane when an external magnetic field is applied Paragraph [0033]), a second magnetization fixed layer in which magnetization direction is fixed in the second direction (Fig. 1A & 4 shows Y-axis sensor 250b comprises pinned layers 214a, 214b which is fixed in a bisection direction 350 Paragraph [0041]), a nonmagnetic second spacer layer located between the second magnetization free layer and the second magnetization fixed layer (Fig. 1A & 4 shows Y-axis sensors 250b comprises a second tunneling layer 215a, 215b formed of non-magnetic material Paragraph [0027], [0028]), and
CHEN does not explicitly teach two first magnet layers that are arranged in the second direction and that sandwich the first magnetization free layer in the second direction;
two second magnet layers that are arranged in the first direction and that sandwich the second magnetization free layer in the first direction.
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However, YAMAZAKI teaches two first magnet layers that (Fig.2 shows magnets 21 and 22 are placed on the substrate 2 and are both in contact with the MR element 10 Paragraph [0028[) are arranged in the second direction and that sandwich the first magnetization free layer (Fig.2 shows the MR element 10 Paragraph [0028[)]) in the second direction;
two second magnet layers that are arranged in the first direction (Fig.2 shows magnets 21 and 22 are placed on the substrate 2 and are both in contact with the MR element 10 Paragraph [0028[) and that sandwich the second magnetization free layer (Fig.2 shows the MR element 10 Paragraph [0028[)]) in the first direction.
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill, in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify a differential magnetic sensor with first and second sensing elements in CHEN, by substituting a GMR sensor with free layer sandwiched between magnet layers by YAMAZAKI to apparently improve the magnetic detection sensitivity of the magnetic sensor in Paragraph [0012 & 0030]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-14 would be allowed if the relative terms “approximately” are deleted from claim 1. No art was found for claims 1-14.
Claims 16-17 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 BRENT J ANDREWS whose telephone number is (571)272-6101. The examiner can normally be reached 10am-5pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Judy Nguyen can be reached at (571)272-2258. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/BRENT J ANDREWS/ Examiner, Art Unit 2858
/STEVEN L YENINAS/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2858
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