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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they include the following reference character(s) not mentioned in the description: Fig.2, 31 and Fig.3, 511, 512, 513 and 51. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d), or amendment to the specification to add the reference character(s) in the description in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(b) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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.
Claims 1-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang et al. (CN115047067, see attached English translation) in view of He et al. (CN208654188, see attached English translation).
Regarding clam 1, Zhang teaches a lens loosening test system configured to detect whether a lens to be tested is loose or not (Paragraphs 2-3), comprising a processing module (Paragraph 37, “a processing module”), an acquisition module (Paragraph 30, “the sound acquisition module collects the sound data generated by the lens during the vibration of the vibration platform. The processing module determines the defect detection result based on the sound data”, the processing module and the acquisition module are together as a processing module) connected to the processing module, a vibrator (Fig.1, 11) and a microphone (Fig.1, 21 and paragraph 39) connected to the acquisition module, and a fixing module (Fig.1, 12) installed on the vibrator; wherein the fixing module is configured to place and fix the lens to be tested (Paragraph 37); the processing module is configured to send an excitation signal to the acquisition module (Paragraph 30, “the sound acquisition module collects the sound data generated by the lens during the vibration of the vibration platform. The processing module determines the defect detection result based on the sound data”, the processing module and the acquisition module are together as a processing module); the acquisition module is configured to excite the vibrator based on the excitation signal; the vibrator is configured to generate vibration to drive the lens to be tested fixed on the fixing module to vibrate and generate an audio signal (Paragraphs 38 and 41); the microphone is configured to receive the audio signal and transmit the audio signal to the acquisition module (Paragraph 39); the acquisition module is further configured to output the audio signal to the processing module; and the processing module is further configured to determine whether the lens to be tested is loose or not based on the audio signal (Paragraphs 2-3 and 41).
Zhang is silent about the vibrator is a speaker.
He teaches the vibrator is a speaker (Paragraph 18, “The audio signal is transmitted to the speaker through a power amplifier. The speaker then receives the audio signal and emits sound to excite the sensor mounting plate to vibrate”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to replace Zhang’s vibrator with He’s speaker because speaker is simple in structure and low in cost as taught by He, also a speaker's voice coil mechanism allows for very accurate control over the frequency of the vibration. This is crucial for applications like resonance inspection, fault analysis in components, or vibroacoustic therapy, where specific frequencies are required.
Regarding claim 2, the combination of Zhang and He teaches all the features of claim 1 as outlined above, Zhang further teaches the fixing module (Fig.1, 12), and the microphone (Fig.1, 21 and paragraph 39).
Zhang is silent about a sound insulation module, wherein a sound insulation detection environment is formed inside the sound insulation module, and the speaker, the fixing module, and the microphone are arranged inside the sound insulation module.
He teaches a sound insulation module (Paragraphs 11-16, “soundproof enclosure”), wherein a sound insulation detection environment is formed inside the sound insulation module, and the speaker is arranged inside the sound insulation module (Paragraphs 11-16).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to place Zhang’s vibrator, fixing module and microphone inside a soundproof enclosure because it would reduce noises.
Regarding claim 3, the combination of Zhang and He teaches all the features of claim 1 as outlined above, He further teaches a power amplifier arranged between the acquisition module and the speaker, wherein the power amplifier is configured to amplify the excitation signal (Paragraph 7).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to replace Zhang’s vibrator with He’s speaker because speaker is simple in structure and low in cost as taught by He, also a speaker's voice coil mechanism allows for very accurate control over the frequency of the vibration. This is crucial for applications like resonance inspection, fault analysis in components, or vibroacoustic therapy, where specific frequencies are required.
Regarding claim 4, the combination of Zhang and He teaches all the features of claim 1 as outlined above, the combination of Zhang and He is silent about a preamplifier arranged between the microphone and the acquisition module, wherein the preamplifier is configured to amplify the audio signal received by the microphone.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to arrange a preamplifier between the microphone and the acquisition module, wherein the preamplifier is configured to amplify the audio signal received by the microphone, since it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to apply a known technique to a known device (method, or product) ready for improvement to yield predictable results is obvious. KSR International Co. v Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S. 398, 82 USPQ2d 1385 (2007).
Regarding claim 5, the combination of Zhang and He teaches all the features of claim 1 as outlined above, Zhang further teaches wherein the fixing module comprises a base (Fig.1, 12) fixed on a plate (Fig.1, 4) and a fixing member (Fig.1, 121+122) arranged on the base, and the fixing member is configured to fix the lens to be tested (Paragraph 37).
Zhang is silent about the plate is a vibration plate of the speaker.
He teaches the plate is a vibration plate of the speaker (Paragraph 18, “The audio signal is transmitted to the speaker through a power amplifier. The speaker then receives the audio signal and emits sound to excite the sensor mounting plate to vibrate”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to replace Zhang’s vibrator with He’s speaker because speaker is simple in structure and low in cost as taught by He, also a speaker's voice coil mechanism allows for very accurate control over the frequency of the vibration. This is crucial for applications like resonance inspection, fault analysis in components, or vibroacoustic therapy, where specific frequencies are required.
Regarding claim 6, the combination of Zhang and He teaches all the features of claim 1 as outlined above, the combination of Zhang and He is silent about wherein a side of the base away from the speaker inwardly recesses to form a groove for accommodating the lens to be tested, each of side walls of the groove is defined with a plurality of through holes, the fixing member is a fixing screw, and the fixing screw is threaded with each of the plurality of through holes.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to make a side of the base away from the speaker inwardly recesses to form a groove for accommodating the lens to be tested, each of side walls of the groove is defined with a plurality of through holes, the fixing member is a fixing screw, and the fixing screw is threaded with each of the plurality of through holes, since it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to apply a known technique to a known device (method, or product) ready for improvement to yield predictable results is obvious. KSR International Co. v Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S. 398, 82 USPQ2d 1385 (2007).
Regarding claims 7-12, the combination of Zhang and He teaches all the features of claims 1-6 as outlined above, Zhang further teaches a lens loosening test method, wherein a lens to be tested is tested using a lens loosening test system according to claims 1-6, and the lens loosening test method comprising: fixing the lens to be tested on a fixing module; sending, by a processing module, an excitation signal to an acquisition module; exciting, by the acquisition module, a vibrator based on the excitation signal; generating, by the vibrator, vibration to drive the lens to be tested fixed on the fixing module to vibrate and generate an audio signal; receiving, by the microphone, the audio signal, and transmitting, by the microphone, the audio signal to the acquisition module; outputting, by the acquisition module, the audio signal to the processing module; and determining, by the processing module, whether the lens to be tested is loose or not based on the audio signal (Paragraphs 42-59).
Zhang is silent about the vibrator is a speaker.
He teaches the vibrator is a speaker (Paragraph 18, “The audio signal is transmitted to the speaker through a power amplifier. The speaker then receives the audio signal and emits sound to excite the sensor mounting plate to vibrate”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to replace Zhang’s vibrator with He’s speaker because speaker is simple in structure and low in cost as taught by He, also a speaker's voice coil mechanism allows for very accurate control over the frequency of the vibration. This is crucial for applications like resonance inspection, fault analysis in components, or vibroacoustic therapy, where specific frequencies are required.
Regarding claim 13, the combination of Zhang and He teaches all the features of claim 7 as outlined above, the combination of Zhang and He is silent about wherein determining, by the processing module, whether the lens to be tested is loose or not based on the audio signal comprises: processing, by the processing module, the audio signal to obtain a proportion of higher-order harmonics; obtaining an excitation frequency of the excitation signal; drawing an audio signal curve based on the proportion of higher-order harmonics and the excitation frequency; determining whether a proportion of a part of higher-order harmonics within a preset excitation frequency range is greater than a preset threshold or not based on the audio signal curve; and in response to the proportion of the part of higher-order harmonics within the preset excitation frequency range is greater than the preset threshold, determining that the lens to be tested is loose.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to use proportion of higher-order harmonics to determine whether the lens is loose or not, since it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to apply a known technique to a known device (method, or product) ready for improvement to yield predictable results is obvious. KSR International Co. v Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S. 398, 82 USPQ2d 1385 (2007).
Regarding claim 14, the combination of Zhang and He teaches all the features of claim 13 as outlined above, the combination of Zhang and He is silent about testing, by the lens loosening test system, a plurality of lenses that are not loose; drawing a standard curve based on the proportion of higher-order harmonics and the excitation frequency obtained from the plurality of lenses that are not loose; and obtaining the preset excitation frequency range and the preset threshold based on the standard curve.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to draw a standard curve based on the proportion of higher-order harmonics and the excitation frequency obtained from the plurality of lenses that are not loose; and obtain the preset excitation frequency range and the preset threshold based on the standard curve, since it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to apply a known technique to a known device (method, or product) ready for improvement to yield predictable results is obvious. KSR International Co. v Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S. 398, 82 USPQ2d 1385 (2007).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to XIN Y ZHONG whose telephone number is (571)272-3798. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9 a.m. - 6 p.m..
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/XIN Y ZHONG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2855
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