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 under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the first spider coupling extension and the second spider coupling extension must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) 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. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. 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.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following:
In the specification, paragraph [0036], on line 7, after “opening”, “73” should be changed to --74--, and on line 8, after “circumferential”, “74” should be changed to --73-- for consistency with the reference numbers in figure 3. As shown in figure 3, the inner opening of the first spider is 74, and the outer circumference of the first spider is 73.
In the specification, paragraph [0036], on line 9, after “opening”, “77” should be changed to --78--, and on line 10, after “circumferential”, “78” should be changed to --77-- for consistency with the reference numbers in figure 3. As shown in figure 3, the inner opening of the second spider is 78, and the outer circumference of the second spider is 77.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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.
Claims 17-18, 24-28 and 36 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Wiggins (US 4,508,941).
Regarding claim 17, Wiggins teaches a low-profile loudspeaker (10, figure 3) comprising a speaker motor assembly (14, 20, 22, 24, figure 3) including a yoke (14, 24) with a central column (14, figure 3), one or more magnets (20) radially disposed around the central column (14) of the yoke, and a top plate (22) mounted in an axially centered relation to an arrangement of the one or more magnets (20) and the central column (14), inner circumferences of the top plate (22) and the one or more magnets (20) and an outer circumference of the central column (14) of the yoke defining an air gap (30), and one or more axial spiders (40, figures 3, 4) mounted to an interior of the central column (figures 3 and/or 8), a circumference of the air gap (30) being larger than an outer circumference of the one or more axial spiders (40, figures 3, 5a, 5b, 6, 7b and/or 8).
Regarding claim 18, Wiggins shows the speaker comprising a cone (18, figure 3), a voice coil (32) wound on a cylindrical former (34) attached to the cone (18) and positionable in the air gap (30, figure 3).
Regarding claim 24, Wiggins teaches that the yoke further defining a flange section (24) from which the central column (14) extends (figure 3), and the one or more magnets (20) being attached to the flange section (24, figure 3).
Regarding claim 25, Wiggins teaches that the central column (14) of the yoke defines one or more ventilation ports (16, figure 3, col. 3, lines 1-4).
Regarding claim 26, Wiggins teaches a loudspeaker (10, figure 3) comprising a basket (12), a diaphragm (18) suspended from the basket (12, figure 3), a speaker motor assembly (14, 20, 22, 24, figure 3) including a yoke (14, 24) with a central column (14, figure 3), one or more magnets (20) radially disposed around the central column (14) of the yoke, and a top plate (22) mounted in an axially centered relation to an arrangement of the one or more magnets (20) and the central column (14), inner circumferences of the top plate (22) and the one or more magnets (20) and an outer circumference of the central column (14) of the yoke defining an air gap (30), and one or more axial spiders (40, figures 3, 4) mounted to an interior of the central column (figures 3 and/or 8), and the one or more axial spiders (40) being coupled to the diaphragm (figures 3, 5a, 5b, 6, 7b and/or 8).
Regarding claim 27, Wiggins teaches a voice coil (32) that is wrapped around a bobbin (34) fixed to the diaphragm (18) and positioned to reciprocate within the air gap (30, figure 3).
Regarding claim 28, as broadly claimed, Wiggins teaches a force transfer assembly (the voice coil assembly 32, 34) connecting to the diaphragm (18) and a first one of the one or more axial spiders (40).
Regarding claim 36, Wiggins teaches the yoke further defining a flange section (24) from which the central column (14) extends (figure 3), and the one or more magnets (20) being attached to the flange section (24, figure 3).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 19-23 and 29-35 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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Sabato et al. (US 6,188,774) teaches a loudspeaker comprising an inner magnet type magnetic circuit (1) comprising a magnet (2), a yoke (3) and a plate (4) and a magnetic gap (5), a voice coil (8) placed inside the magnetic gap and connected to a main diaphragm (11), and a damper (9) disposed in a place inner than the magnetic gap (5).
Coffin (US 6,343,128) teaches a dual cone loudspeaker including a primary speaker cone and an axially displaced secondary speaker cone mounted to the back of a magnetic structure, a rigid link causing both cones to move unison and including an open support structure with equiangularly extending spokes that form a central hub.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HUYEN D LE whose telephone number is (571) 272-7502. The examiner can normally be reached 9:30 am-6:00 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Fan Tsang can be reached at (571) 272-7547. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/HUYEN D LE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2694 HL
December 17, 2025