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 .
Response to Amendment
The amended claim(s) which refer to surface being of a “diaphragm of speaker being arrange in a particular configuration” has been further considered and rejected over prior art.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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, 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(s) 1-5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Corynen (US 11,503,407 B2).
Claim 1, Corynen disclose of an acoustic system comprising a speaker system that includes at least one speaker unit pair including a speaker unit (hereinafter, referred to as a positive speaker unit) that emits a sound based on an acoustic signal of a predetermined sound source and a speaker unit (hereinafter, referred to as a negative speaker unit) that emits a sound based on an acoustic signal having an opposite phase to the acoustic signal (fig.2-3(40);fig.22; col.22 line 35-50/the speaker unit emit sound having opposite phase of acoustic signal); wherein the speaker unit pair is configured such that a diaphragm of the positive speaker unit and a diaphragm of the negative speaker unit of the speaker unit pair located foremost when viewed from a front direction of the speaker unit pair are one plane perpendicular to a ground plane of the speaker unit pair (fig.2-3; 21-22, 39; col.33 line 40-67/the frontal cone speakers pair shape has a diaphragm among such range dimension associated with the cone being perpendicular to ground plane associated with ceiling).
However, none of the prior art further disclose of an arrangement of the positive speaker unit and the negative speaker unit of the speaker unit pair when viewed from the front direction of the speaker unit pair is parallel to a direction perpendicular to the ground plane of the speaker unit pair.
However, it would have been obvious for one of the ordinary skills in the art to have modified the various arrangements of the positive speaker unit and the negative speaker unit of the speaker unit pair when viewed from the front direction of the speaker unit pair according to a direction perpendicular to the ground plane of the speaker unit pair (fig.21-22; 2-3; /the varied arrangement of speakers according to the planar wall and ground) by specifying if desired such arrangement of the positive speaker unit and the negative speaker unit of the speaker unit pair when viewed from the front direction of the speaker unit pair is parallel to a direction perpendicular to the ground plane of the speaker unit pair thereby achieving the same result as to control the directional sound being provided to a user according to their particular arrangement.
The prior art further disclose of the speaker unit pair is configured such that a sound emitted from the positive speaker unit in a rear direction and a sound emitted from the negative speaker unit in a rear direction go around in the front direction (fig.2-3; col.22 line 25-35/the sound(s) of each speaker associated with rear direction may merge/cancel).
The claim(s) 2 which substantially disclose of the same feature as noted in claim (s) 1 has been analyzed and rejected accordingly.
[Claim 3]An acoustic system comprising a speaker system that includes at least one speaker unit pair including a speaker unit (hereinafter, referred to as a positive speaker unit) that emits a sound based on an acoustic signal of a predetermined sound source and a speaker unit (hereinafter, referred to as a negative speaker unit) that emits a sound based on an acoustic signal having an opposite phase to the acoustic signal (fig.2-3(40);fig.22; col.22 line 35-50/the speaker unit emit sound having opposite phase of acoustic signal), wherein the speaker unit pair is configured such that a diaphragm of the positive speaker unit and a diaphragm of the negative speaker unit of the speaker unit pair located foremost when viewed from a front direction of the speaker unit pair are a plane (fig.2-3; 21-22, 39; col.33 line 40-67/the frontal cone speakers pair shape has a surface among such range dimension associated with the cone being perpendicular to ground plane associated with ceiling).
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However, the art never specify of the plane as forming a predetermined angle 0 (where 0<0< n/2) with a ground plane of the speaker unit pair, and an arrangement of the positive speaker unit and the negative speaker unit of the speaker unit pair when viewed from the front direction of the speaker unit pair is parallel to a direction horizontal to the ground plane of the speaker unit pair.
However, it would have been obvious for one of the ordinary skills in the art to have modified the various arrangements of the positive speaker unit and the negative speaker unit of the speaker unit pair when viewed from the front direction of the speaker unit pair according to a direction perpendicular to the ground plane of the speaker unit pair (fig.2-3; 13b; col.3 line 10-30/the varied arrangement of speakers according to the wall ground) by specifying if desired such arrangement including having the plane as forming a predetermined angle 0 (where 0<0< n/2) with a ground plane of the speaker unit pair, and an arrangement of the positive speaker unit and the negative speaker unit of the speaker unit pair when viewed from the front direction of the speaker unit pair is parallel to a direction horizontal to the ground plane of the speaker unit pair thereby achieving the same result as to control the directional sound being provided to a user according to their particular arrangement.
The prior art further disclose of the speaker unit pair is configured such that a sound emitted from the positive speaker unit in a rear direction and a sound emitted from the negative speaker unit in the rear direction go around in the front direction fig.2-3; col.22 line 25-35/the sound(s) of each speaker associated with rear direction may merge/cancel).
[Claim 4] An acoustic system comprising a speaker system that includes at least one speaker unit pair including a speaker unit (hereinafter, referred to as a positive speaker unit) that emits a sound based on an acoustic signal of a predetermined sound source and a speaker unit (hereinafter, referred to as a negative speaker unit) that emits a sound based on an acoustic signal having an opposite phase to the acoustic signal (fig.2 (40); fig.3 (54); col.5 line 10-55); wherein the speaker unit pair is configured such that each of a diaphragm of the positive speaker unit of the speaker unit pair located foremost when viewed from a front direction of the speaker unit pair and a diaphragm of the negative speaker unit of the speaker unit pair when viewed from the front direction of the speaker unit pair is parallel to one plane (fig.2-3; 21-22, 39; col.33 line 40-67/the frontal cone speakers pair shape has a surface among such range dimension associated with the cone being perpendicular to ground plane associated with ceiling).
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However, none of the prior art further disclose of the arrangements of the speaker as forming a predetermined angle 0 (where 0<0< n/2) with a ground plane of the speaker unit pair.
However, it would have been obvious for one of the ordinary skills in the art to have modified the various arrangements of the positive speaker unit and the negative speaker unit of the speaker unit pair when viewed from the front direction of the speaker unit pair according to a direction perpendicular to the ground plane of the speaker unit pair (fig.2-3; col.22 line 20-30/the varied arrangement of speakers according to the wall ground) by specifying if desired such the arrangements of the speaker as forming a predetermined angle 0 (where 0<0< n/2) with a ground plane of the speaker unit pair thereby achieving the same result as to control the directional sound being provided to a user according to their particular arrangement.
The prior arts further disclose of the speaker unit pair is configured such that a sound emitted from the positive speaker unit in a rear direction and a sound emitted from the negative speaker unit in the rear direction go around in the front direction (fig.2-3; col.22 line 25-35/the sound(s) of each speaker associated with rear direction may merge/cancel).
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[Claim 5]The acoustic system according to claim 4, wherein when the positive speaker unit and the negative speaker unit of the speaker unit pair are viewed from directly above, the positive speaker unit and the negative speaker unit of the speaker unit pair are in a positional relationship in which the positive speaker unit and the negative speaker unit of the speaker unit are provided (fig.2-3; 39b; col.3 line 5-35).
However, none of the prior art disclose of the positive speaker unit and the negative speaker unit of the speaker unit pair appear to overlap each other; but, one of the ordinary skills in the art could have varied the plural arrangements associated with each speaker units as mentioned by having such aspect wherein specifically the positive speaker unit and the negative speaker unit of the speaker unit pair appear to overlap each other for achieving the same result so as to control the directional sound being provided to a user according to their particular arrangement.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/DISLER PAUL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2695