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 .
In response to applicant’s filing dated November 24, 2025. The following action is taken:Applicant’s representative is respectfully asked to setup a telephonic interview to discuss the outstanding office action and how the claims are broadly interpreted by the examiner.
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) 30-38 and 40 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hara et al (6770386).
Regarding claim 30, the examiner interprets the claim are merely writing data into a medium by converting antiferromagnetic area into a ferromagnetic area utilizing an electric field. Regarding claim 37, the examiner interprets the claim as converting antiferromagnetic area on a medium to a ferromagnetic areas utilizing a laser which read on a phase changing medium wherein crystalline states and amorphous states represent data. The limitation “matrix” is not defined and merely read on any area representing data on the medium such as data tracks, zones, ..etc. the reference in fig 5B discloses a medium having an area tracks “matrix” with discrete antiferromagnetic zones elements 33, 31. The reference further discloses the use of a laser converting the antiferromagnetic areas into ferromagnetic thus recording data such as in fig 5B and 5C see column 6 lines 5-13 wherein layers 31 and 33 are in antiferromagnetic states when heated then magnetic recording is possible thus developing ferromagnetic states. Regarding claims 37, the reference in column 4 lines 45-50 wherein the heating element is disclosed as a laser a light or an electron beam which generates a magnetic field meeting the claimed invention in claim 37.
With respect to the limitation of claim 31. The claim read on the laser ON/OFF state when converting the antiferromagnetic state to a ferromagnetic layer thus representing data on the medium. the reference in fig 5C represent the medium having ferromagnetic due to heating “F” and antiferromagnetic sate ”AF” meeting the claimed invention.
With respect to the limitation of claim 32, as far as “substantially” is interpreted, the laser beam in fig 5B covers the discrete area “f” of the data track.
With respect to the limitation of claim 33. The claim does not define the “temperature” and merely read on heating the “area” thus converting the antiferromagnetic into ferromagnetic as in column 4 lines 15-25.
With respect to the limitation of claim 34 see column 4 lines 15-25. The data is represented ferromagnetic data when converted from an antiferromagnetic state.
With respect to the limitation of claim 35. The use of a near field is interpreted as an electron beam generator as in column 4 lines 45-50.
With respect to the limitation of claim 36 see column 3 lines 12-14.
With respect to the limitation of claim 38 see column 3 lines 1-2 and lines 17-21.
With respect to the limitation of claim 40 see column 3 lines 15-20 regarding the degree of heating above room temperature.
Claim Objections
Claim 39 is 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.
The cited prior art does not show or teach the applying of a voltage between the metallic tip with electrical connection with the first and second layers as claimed.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 21-29 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: The cited prior art does not show or teach data storage device, comprising: a housing; a light source; a magnetic recording head comprising: a near-field transducer, and a waveguide; and at least one magnetic recording disk comprising: a magnetic stack comprising a magnetic recording layer, wherein the magnetic recording layer comprises: a plurality of ferromagnetic, discrete regions located within an antiferromagnetic matrix, wherein the plurality of ferromagnetic, discrete regions are formed from corresponding discrete regions within the antiferromagnetic matrix by converting the antiferromagnetic discrete regions of the antiferromagnetic matrix into the plurality of ferromagnetic, discrete regions on disk, and wherein the converting comprises:i) heating each of the plurality of discrete regions within the antiferromagnetic matrix to at least a temperature that causes each of the plurality of discrete regions to convert into the ferromagnetic, discrete regions, and/or ii) applying an external electric field to each of the plurality of discrete regions within the antiferromagnetic matrix for a time period to convert each of the plurality of discrete regions into the ferromagnetic, discrete regions..
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NABIL Z HINDI whose telephone number is (571)272-7618. The examiner can normally be reached on MON-FRI from 5:30 AM to 1:30 PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Steven Lim, can be reached at telephone number 571-270-1210. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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Examiner interviews are available via a variety of formats. See MPEP § 713.01. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) Form at https://www.uspto.gov/InterviewPractice.
/NABIL Z HINDI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2688
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