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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement filed 5/14/24 has been considered.
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 “second vibration generating apparatus between the vibration member and the supporting member” must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered. It appears that only a portion of this member is between the vibration member (100) and the supporting member (300) (See figure 2, element (200’)), not the entire second vibration generating apparatus as set forth.
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.
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.
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.
Claim(s) 1, 4-8, 12-15, 18-19 and 30-31 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by Ye et al. (2022/0217472 A1).
Re claim 1: Ye et al. teaches an apparatus comprising:
a vibration member (403, figure 38);
a supporting member (405), figure 38) at a rear surface of the vibration member; and
a first vibration generating apparatus (note paragraph [0212], vibration apparatus (200) includes a first vibrating apparatus (110), figure 34 connected with the rear surface of the vibration member and a second vibration generating apparatus (120), figure 34 between the vibration member and the supporting member,
wherein the first vibration generating apparatus and the second vibration generating apparatus are serially connected with each other (note the first and second vibrating apparatuses as connected in a stacked arrangement, i.e. serially connected to each other.
Re claim 4: note figure 34 in which the first vibration generating apparatus (110) contacts a rear surface of vibration member (403) through elastic element (116)
Re claim 5: note element (116) satisfies the connection member
Re claim 6: See teaching the use of an IC’s, paragraph [0083] satisfying a control board
Re claim 7: see figure 1 teaching the use of a single signal path between a controller (40) and element (10), vibration generating apparatus.
Re claim 8: as seen from figure 1 the signal path is configured in a closed loop with the control board (IC controller 40)
Re claim 12: as seen from figure 34 a portion of the first vibration generating apparatus (110) overlaps the second vibration generating apparatus (120)
Re claim 13: reversing the designations of elements (110) and (12) as a second vibration generating apparatus and a first vibration generating apparatus respectively then as seen in figure 34 the first apparatus (120) is located between vibration member (201) that is attached to panel (403) and the second apparatus (110)
Re claim 14: see connecting surfaces between elements (110) and (120), figure 34.
Re claim 15: see figure 1, output from (IC controller 40) used to drive the vibration apparatus (10) that includes a first and second vibration generating apparatuses
Re claim 18: see another embodiment taught in figure 39 depicted two separate vibration generating apparatus (200) spaced from each other having components therein such that these apparatuses do not overlap as set forth
Re claim 19: see teaching in paragraph [0092] for the use of a first (11) and second (13) electrodes on different surfaces of a vibration layer.
Re claim 30: note element (403) in figure 38 along with paragraph [0212] teaches a vibration member as being a display panel satisfying the alternative language arrangement as set forth by the phrase “one or more of”
Re claim 31: see paragraph [0212} teaching element (403) can be a plastic material satisfying the alternative languge “comprises one or more material” of a list of materials
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) 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ye et al. in view of Nam et al. (US 2022/0210529 A1).
Re claim 20: The teaching of Ye et al. is discussed above and incorporated herein. Ye et al. does not teach the use of an inorganic material and an organic material as set forth. Nam et al. teaches in a similar environment to use a combination of organic and inorganic materials for a vibration layer (see for example figures 9A-9Fto enable a reduced thickness when used in a display apparatus, paragraph [0231] and for enhancing the durability of the vibration apparatus, paragraph [0240]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing of the invention to incorporate the use of such materials as taught in Man et al. into the arrangement of Ye et al. to predictably allow for reduced thickness when used in a display apparatus, and for enhancing the durability of the vibration apparatus. Therefor the claimed subject matter would have been obvious before the filing of the invention.
Claim(s) 32 and 33 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ye et al. in view of Nam et al. as applied to claim 20 above, and further in view of Kim et al. (US2022/0201399 A1.
Re claim 32: The teaching of Ye et al. in view of Nam et al. is discussed above and incorporated herein. This combination dose not teach inorganic portions that progressively decrease. Kim et al. teaches in a similar environment to progressively decrease the inorganic portions, figure 7A along with paragraph [0181] as an alternative to equal width portions. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing of the invention to incorporate such a teaching into the arrangement of Ye et al. in view of Nam et al. to predictably provide an alternative way of providing the inorganic portions. Therefor the claimed subject matter would have been obvious before the filing of the invention.
Re claim 33: Also note in configuration of figure 7A of Kim et al., inorganic portions (231a) have a larger size than portions (231b) which inherently provide those results as set forth by this configuration. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing of the invention to incorporate such a teaching into the arrangement of Ye et al. in view of Nam et al. to predictably provide an alternative way of providing the inorganic portions. Therefor the claimed subject matter would have been obvious before the filing of the invention.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-3, 9-11, 16-17, 21-29 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The claimed apparatus including in combination those features of claim 1 wherein the first vibration generating apparatus is configured to output a sound of a first frequency band, and wherein the second vibration generating apparatus is configured to output a sound of a second frequency band different from the first frequency band as set forth in claim 2 is neither taught by nor an obvious variation of the art of record. The limitations of claim 3 depend upon those features of claim 2/1. The claimed apparatus including in combination those features of claim 8/7/6/1 wherein the control board and the first vibration generating apparatus are connected with each other through a signal terminal having a first polarity, and wherein the control board and the second vibration generating apparatus are connected with each other through a signal terminal having a second polarity opposite to the first polarity as set forth in claim 9 is neither taught by nor an obvious variation of the art of record. The limitations of claims 10-11 depend upon those features of claims 9/8/7/6/1. The claimed apparatus including in combination those features of claim 15/12/6/1 wherein the signal connection member comprises a first signal connection member connected with a signal terminal having a first polarity of the first vibration generating apparatus; a second signal connection member connected with a signal terminal, having a second polarity opposite to the first polarity, of the second vibration generating apparatus; and a third signal connection member connected between a signal terminal having the second polarity of the first vibration generating apparatus and a signal terminal having the first polarity of the second vibration generating apparatus as set forth in claim 16 is neither taught by nor an obvious variation of the art of record. The limitations of claim 17 depend upon those features of claim 16/15/12/6/1. The claimed apparatus including in combination those features of claim 20/19/1 21, wherein the second vibration generating apparatus comprises: a frame including an accommodating space; a magnet disposed in the accommodating space; a bobbin disposed the accommodating space, the bobbin being at a periphery of the magnet; and a coil at a periphery of the bobbin as set forth in claim 21 is neither taught by nor an obvious variation of the art of record. The limitations of claims 22-29 depend upon those features of claim 21/20/19/1.
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 10/8/25
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