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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement filed 10/18/25 has been considered.
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 6, 10 and 19 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 6 uses the language “at least one of” in combination with “and” in lines 2-3 which provide numerous possible interpretations of that being claimed without specifically setting forth any specific arrangement and therefor does not particularly and distinctly define the invention. It appears the wording “and” should be replaced with the wording - -or - - to properly define the invention. Similarly claim 19 contains language similar to that discussed in claim 6, which also needs correction. Claim 10 sets forth “the acoustic component” lacking positive antecedent basis.
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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, 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, 3-6, 8-10, 17and 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over in Perkins et al. (US 6,259,798 B1) in view of Chuang et al. (US 2023/0164955 A1)
Re claim 1: Perkins et al. teaches in a heat removal component that can be attached to a speaker including an electronic component (see element (26), figure 1) to remove heat from speaker electronics (column 6, lines 33-46). Perkins however does not teach that this heat removal component includes a body defining a plurality of valvular conduits, a valvular conduit from the plurality of valvular conduits having a first end and a second end, the valvular conduit allowing an airflow in a pre-determined direction through the body from the first end to the second end, an other one from the plurality of valvular conduits extending parallel to the valvular conduit in the body. Chuang et al. teaches in a similar environment a passive heat removal component for use with an electronic device, the passive heat removal component comprising; a body (1) configured to be removably attached to the electronic device (paragraph [0022]), the body defining a plurality of valvular conduits (i.e., channel-like structures; spacings between sheet members 12 and 13), a valvular conduit (one of the channels as depicted in 4) from the plurality of valvular conduits having a first end (closest to end (111A)) and a second end (closest to end (111B)), the valvular conduit allowing an airflow in a pre-determined direction through the body from the first end to the second end (see air flow directions as depicted in figure 5), an other one from the plurality of valvular conduits (another one of the channels as depicted in figure 4) extending parallel to the valvular conduit in the body (see figure 4); and the body being disposed in proximity to an electronic component of a device for transferring thermal energy from the electronic component to the airflow in the valvular conduit. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing of the invention to replace the heat removal component of Perkins et al. with another heat removal component have a specific body arrangement as taught by Chuang et al. providing an alternative arrangement for heat removal for a speaker device. Therefor the claimed subject matter would have been obvious before the filing of the invention.
Re claim 3: note arrangement of the conduits in the body (figure 4 of Chuang et al.) where the conduit(s) extend vertically from a bottom portion of the body to a top portion of the body
Re claim 4: note in Chuang et al. the conduit is a channel-like conduit (figure 4)
Re claim 5: note in Chuang et al. the conduit is a chamber-like conduit (figure 4) defined in the body due to the sheet walls (12 and 13) that formed compartments therebetween
Re claim 6: due to the indefinite language set forth the conduit as depicted in figure 4 of Chuang et al. that uses projections (formed the extending sheets (12, 13), see figure 3 cause at least an increasing resistance to the airflow in a direction opposite direction (since the spacings of these elements (12, 13) are closer to each other at locations L1, figure 4 than at the opposite end of these elements
Re claim 8: note in Chuang et al. one end that includes notch (11A) is proximity to an electrical component (paragraph [0022])
Re claim 9: see paragraph [0022] of Chuang et al. teaching that the device is “hung on” the electronic device, satisfying in thermal contact as set forth
Re claim 10: note in Perkins et al. the enclosure (24) includes a speaker as depicted in figure 13A
Re claim 17: Perkins et al. teaches in a heat removal component that can be attached to an acoustic component, speaker (figure 13A) that generates acoustic waves, an electronic component (column 6, lines 33-46) and a heat removal component (see element (26), figure 1) to remove heat from speaker electronics. Perkins however does not teach that this heat removal component includes a body defining a plurality of valvular conduits, a valvular conduit from the plurality of valvular conduits having a first end and a second end, the valvular conduit allowing an airflow in a pre-determined direction through the body from the first end to the second end, an other one from the plurality of valvular conduits extending parallel to the valvular conduit in the body. Chuang et al. teaches in a similar environment a passive heat removal component for use with an electronic device, the passive heat removal component comprising; a body (1) configured to be removably attached to the electronic device (paragraph [0022]), the body defining a plurality of valvular conduits (i.e., channel-like structures; spacings between sheet members 12 and 13), a valvular conduit (one of the channels as depicted in 4) from the plurality of valvular conduits having a first end (closest to end (111A)) and a second end (closest to end (111B)), the valvular conduit allowing an airflow in a pre-determined direction through the body from the first end to the second end (see air flow directions as depicted in figure 5), an other one from the plurality of valvular conduits (another one of the channels as depicted in figure 4) extending parallel to the valvular conduit in the body (see figure 4); and the body being disposed in proximity to an electronic component of a device for transferring thermal energy from the electronic component to the airflow in the valvular conduit. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing of the invention to replace the heat removal component of Perkins et al. with another heat removal component have a specific body arrangement as taught by Chuang et al. providing an alternative arrangement for heat removal for a speaker device. Therefor the claimed subject matter would have been obvious before the filing of the invention.
Re claim 19: due to the indefinite language set forth the conduit as depicted in figure 4 of Chuang et al. that uses projections (formed the extending sheets (12, 13), see figure 3 cause at least an increasing resistance to the airflow in a direction opposite direction (since the spacings of these elements (12, 13) are closer to each other at locations L1, figure 4 than at the opposite end of these elements
Claim(s) 2, 11-13 and 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Perkins et al. (US 6,259,798 B1) in view of Chuang et al. (US 2023/0164955 A1) as applied to claims 1, 3-6, 8 -10, 17and 19 above, and further in view of Ramones et al. (US 2020/0112792 A1), already of record.
Re claims 2 and 18: The teaching of Perkins et al. (US 6,259,798 B1) in view of Chuang et al. (US 2023/0164955 A1) is discussed above and incorporated herein. Although in this combination and specifically Perkins et al. heat is transferred from the speaker to the outside view a passive heat removal component; this combination does not teach that the acoustic waves from the speaker are used to cause movement of heated airflow. Ramones et al. teaches in a similar environment to use acoustic waves from speaker to cause the movement of the heated airflow (see discussion in paragraph [0039] in order to provide an improved heat transfer without the use of a fan or pump). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing of the invention to incorporate this teaching of Ramones et al. into the arrangement of Perkins et al. (US 6,259,798 B1) in view of Chuang et al. (US 2023/0164955 A1) as applied to predictably provide an improved heat transfer without the use of a fan or pump. Therefor the claimed subject matter would have been obvious before the filing of the invention.
Re claim 11: The teaching of Perkins et al. (US 6,259,798 B1) in view of Chuang et al. (US 2023/0164955 A1) is discussed above and incorporated herein. This combination does not teach that the electronic component is located on a motherboard. Ramones et al. teaches in a similar environment of heat removal to place electronic components on a mother board. See board (98), considered a mother board. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing of the invention to incorporate a motherboard, such as element (98) taught by Ramones et al. into the arrangement of Perkins et al. (US 6,259,798 B1) in view of Chuang et al. (US 2023/0164955 A1) as applied to predictably provide a means for mount electronic components of the device. Therefor the claimed subject matter would have been obvious before the filing of the invention.
Re claim 12: The teaching of Perkins et al. (US 6,259,798 B1) in view of Chuang et al. (US 2023/0164955 A1) is discussed above and incorporated herein. This combination does not teach that the electronic component includes one of a processor and memory. Ramones et al. teaches in a similar heat removal arrangement that electronic components include a processor, CPU (108), and a memory component (110) for the device operation. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing of the invention to incorporate a processor and memory as taught by Ramones et al. into the arrangement of Perkins et al. (US 6,259,798 B1) in view of Chuang et al. (US 2023/0164955 A1) as applied to predictably provide a means for device operation. Therefor the claimed subject matter would have been obvious before the filing of the invention.
Re claim 13: The teaching of Perkins et al. (US 6,259,798 B1) in view of Chuang et al. (US 2023/0164955 A1) is discussed above and incorporated herein. This combination does not teach that the body can be made of material(s) such as aluminum, zinc and cooper. Ramones et al. teaches in a similar environment that the body (note at least the heat sinks making up a portion of the body for heat removal) are comprised of at least copper of aluminum (paragraph [0038]) satisfying language of the claim. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing of the invention to incorporate the teaching of Ramones et al. into the arrangement of It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing of the invention to incorporate a motherboard, such as element (98) taught by Ramones et al. into the arrangement of Perkins et al. (US 6,259,798 B1) in view of Chuang et al. (US 2023/0164955 A1) as applied to predictably provide a means for forming the body. Therefor the claimed subject matter would have been obvious before the filing of the invention.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 14-15 are allowed.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to the claim(s) have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on the combination of references as applied in the prior rejection of record
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANDREW SNIEZEK whose telephone number is (571)272-7563. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7:00 AM-3:30 PM EST.
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/ANDREW SNIEZEK/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2693
/A.S./Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2693 1/13/26