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 .
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
The following title is suggested: --SOUND GENERATING VIBRATION DEVICE--
Claim Objections
Claim 26 is objected to because of the following informality:
Claim 26, lines 2-3, the examiner suggests inserting --each of-- before the recitation of “the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer” to provide a more proper description.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 20, 24 and 25 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 pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
Claim 20, line 1, note that the recitation of “the side portion” lacks proper antecedent basis since no “side” portion” has been defined in the chain of dependency. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 24, line 4, note that the recitation of “the other portion” lacks proper antecedent basis since no “other” portion” has been defined in the chain of dependency. Similar issue occurs in claim 25, line 4. Appropriate correction is required. For the purpose of examination, the examiner will interpret that the “other portion” corresponds to the first and second electrode being on opposite sides of the vibration layer.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-4, 6-14, 16, 19, 21, 22, 24 and 25 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Park et al. (US2016/0014525 A1).
In regards to claim 1, Park et al. teaches in annotated Fig. 25 below an apparatus, comprising:
A vibration member (400 and 500) including a plane portion (Annotated Portion A) and a round portion (Annotated Portions B) extended to be rounded from the plane portion; and a vibration device (combination of 100 and 200) connected to the vibration member.
In regards to claim 2, based on annotated Fig. 25, wherein a portion of the vibration device (200) is disposed on an inner side of the plane portion (Annotated Portion A).
In regards to claim 3, based on annotated Fig. 25, wherein the vibration member includes a side portion (Annotated Portions C) extended from the round portion and configured to be perpendicular to the plane portion.
In regards to claim 4, based on Fig. 25, the vibration member (400) has a uniform thickness.
In regards to claim 6, based on annotated Fig. 25, the round portion (Annotated Portions B) connects the plane portion (Annotated Portion A) with the side portion (Annotated Portions C).
In regards to claim 7, based on Fig. 25, wherein the vibration (400) has an internal space (space between 400 and 500).
In regards to claim 8, based on Fig. 25, wherein the vibration device (100 and 200) is disposed in the internal space.
In regards to claim 9, based on annotated Fig. 25, wherein the internal space is configured by an inner side of each of the plane portion (Annotated Portion A), the round portion (Annotated Portions B) and the side portion (Annotated Portions C).
In regards to claim 10, based on annotated Fig. 25, wherein the vibration member further includes a bottom portion (500) facing the plane portion, and extended to be perpendicular from the side portion (Annotated Portions C).
In regards to claim 11, based on annotated Fig. 25, wherein the internal space is sealed by the bottom portion (500).
In regards to claim 12, based on paragraph [0047], wherein the vibration member (portion 200) includes any suitable plastic material (plastic materials being either porous or non-porous).
In regards to claim 13, based on Fig. 25, further comprising a connection member (550) between a portion of the vibration device (100) and the vibration member (500).
In regards to claim 14, based on related Fig. 5, wherein the vibration device (100) includes: a vibration layer (piezoelectric 110); a first electrode layer (111) on a first surface of the vibration layer; and a second electrode layer (113) on a second surface of the vibration layer, which is different from the first surface.
In regards to claim 16, based on related Fig. 5, wherein the vibration device includes a plurality of vibration portions spaced apart from each other, each of the plurality of vibration portions includes: a vibration layer (piezoelectric layers 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160 and 170); a first electrode layer (111, 123, 131, 143, 153, 161, 173) on a first surface of the vibration layer; and a second electrode layer (113, 121, 133, 143, 151, 163, 171) on a second surface of the vibration layer, which is different from the first surface.
In regards to claim 19, based on related Fig. 5, wherein the vibration device includes a plurality of vibration generating units (e.g. combination of 111, 110 and 113 forming one unit and combination of 131, 130 and 133 forming a second unit), and the plurality of vibration generating units are vibrated in the same direction.
In regards to claim 21, based on annotated Fig. 25, wherein the plane portion (Annotated Portion A) includes a flat panel structure having a uniform thickness as a whole.
In regards to claim 22, based on annotated Fig. 25, wherein the round portion (Annotated Portions B) includes a non-planar structure having a uniform thickness as a whole.
In regards to claims 24 and 25, based on Fig. 5 and the 35 USC 112(b) interpretation above, wherein each of the first electrode layer (111) and the second electrode layer (113) is formed on opposite sides of the vibration layer, except an edge portion, of the vibration layer.
PNG
media_image1.png
623
869
media_image1.png
Greyscale
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park et al. (US2016/0014525 A1) in view of Miyoshi (US2018/0316995 A1).
As discussed above, Park et al. teaches the claimed invention as recited in claim 4 above. Park et al. does not disclose any thicknesses for the vibration member (i.e. generic); therefore Park et al. does not teach: in regards to claim 5, wherein the thickness of the vibration member is 1 mm to 3 mm.
Miyoshi teaches in Fig. 2 a vibration member (42) used in a sound device. Miyoshi teaches in paragraph [0276], that the vibration member can have a bottom member thickness of 1 mm.
At the time of filing, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified the invention of Park et al. and have design the vibration member to have any desired thickness, such as having a bottom portion being 1 mm in thickness, because such a modification would have been an obvious design choice based on a desired size parameters, in which the mm range thicknesses for a vibration member is known (see Miyoshi , paragraph [0276]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 15, 17, 18, 23 and 26 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.
Claim 20 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include 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.
Ando (USPAT 9,332,353 B2) teaches in Fig. 1 a planer-type speaker using a piezoelectric film (20L).
Schafer (US2015/0187349 A1) teaches in Fig. 1 a flex tensional transducer having a vibration member (12, 17 and 19) located between a top and bottom cover.
Szilagyi et al. (USPAT 5,736,808) teaches in Fig. 1 a piezoelectric speaker comprising a vibration device located between a support (20) and top cover (26).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JORGE L SALAZAR JR whose telephone number is (571)-272-9326. The examiner can normally be reached between 9am - 6pm Monday-Friday.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Andrea Lindgren Baltzell can be reached on 571-272-5918. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/JORGE L SALAZAR JR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2843
Prosecution Insights