DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
Claim 4 recites a “FLASH circuit,” however, there is a lack of written description of the FLASH circuit in the specification. The FLASH circuit is mentioned in the spec, but it’s structure/operation is not described. The FLASH circuit is shown as component 37 in the drawing, but the type of IC chip used for it is not disclosed. Therefore, the specification and drawings fail to sufficiently identify the manner in which the FLASH circuit is achieved.
The best way to overcome this rejection without adding new matter is to delete the FLASH circuit limitation from the claims.
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.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lu (US 20230215414 A1).
As to claim 1, Lu discloses an active noise reduction microphone circuit structure (¶0002, Fig. 1. “The present disclosure relates generally to active noise suppression in audio signals, in particular suppressing noise caused by microphone motion.”), comprising
a preamplifier circuit (¶0018, Fig. 1. “Amplifier 106 may include a pre-amplifier.”),
an ADC (analog-to-digital conversion) circuit (¶0018, Fig. 1. ADC 108), and
a DSP (digital signal processing) circuit (¶0017 and ¶0028, Fig. 1. “Signal processing system 102 may further comprise a noise suppression module 118.”);
the ADC circuit being connected to the preamplifier circuit (Fig. 1. Amplifier 106 connected to ADC 108),
the DSP circuit being connected to the ADC circuit (Fig. 1. ADC 108 connected to noise suppression module 118).
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1, 2, 4 and 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Deng (CN 214591877 U – references made to English machine translation), as evidenced by Orten (US 2004/0096072 A1) for further support.
As to claim 1, Deng discloses a microphone circuit structure (Fig. 2), comprising
a preamplifier circuit (p. 4 ¶03 and Fig. 2. “Sound pickup module 40, comprising a sound pickup, a gain adjusting switch, a preamplifier.”),
an ADC (analog-to-digital conversion) circuit (p. 3 ¶11, Fig. 2. “Analog-to-digital conversion module 50.”), and
a DSP (digital signal processing) circuit (p. 3 ¶11, Fig. 2. “Central processing module 10.”);
the ADC circuit being connected to the preamplifier circuit (p. 4 ¶03 and Fig. 2. “The preamplifier output end is connected to the analog-to-digital conversion module 50.”),
the DSP circuit being connected to the ADC circuit (p. 4 ¶04 and Fig. 2. “Analogue-to-digital conversion module 50, the sound pickup transmission of the sound analogue signal into digital signal, and transmitting to the central processing module 10.”).
Deng does not expressly disclose the microphone circuit is an active noise reduction circuit.
However, this appears to be an intended use of the microphone circuitry. The structure of Deng contains all parts as claimed, and would be capable of performing the intended use recited in the preamble. Further, using microphone circuitry for noise reduction is well-known, routine and conventional in the art and would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention in order to improve signal quality. See at least Orten, ¶0027-0028 and Fig. 3 disclosing a microphone with internal circuitry 20 adapted for cancelling noise.
As to claim 2, Deng discloses a USB (universal serial bus) interface, the USB interface being connected to the DSP circuit (p. 3 ¶11-12, Fig. 2. “A USB output module 20.” Connected to central processing module 10 through recombination module 80, as well as through power supply 30 and ADC 50.).
As to claim 4, Deng discloses an LDO (low dropout) circuit (p. 4 ¶08, Fig. 2. “Wherein the photographic camera module 90 is composed of an LDO voltage regulator.”) and
a FLASH circuit (p. 4 ¶08, Fig. 2. “photographic camera module 90 is composed of… a flash buffer component.),
the LDO circuit being connected to the DSP circuit, the ADC circuit and the FLASH circuit (p. 4 ¶08, Fig. 2. Photographic camera module 90 composed of LDO and flash buffer. Schematic shows photographic camera module 90 electrically connected to ADC 50 and central processing module 10.).
As to claim 5, Deng discloses a DC-DC (direct current) circuit, the DC-DC circuit being connected to the DSP circuit (p. 4 ¶10, Fig. 2. “The power supply module 30 further comprises a direct current conversion module.” Power supply module 30 connected to central processing module 10.).
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Deng, as evidenced by Orten for further support, as applied to claim 2 above, in view of Dhanasekaran (US 2021/0367383 A1).
As to claim 3, Deng does not expressly disclose an OVP (over voltage protection) circuit, the OVP circuit being connected to the USB interface.
Dhanasekaran discloses an OVP (over voltage protection) circuit, the OVP circuit being connected to the USB interface (¶0028. “DC overvoltage and surge voltage fault conditions may occur at one or more pins of a connector, such as a USB-A or USB-C receptacle, of a device (e.g., device 100). An overvoltage protection (OVP) scheme may be employed, as illustrated in the block diagram 200 of FIG. 2, to prevent electrical over stress (EOS) damage to chipset integrated circuits (ICs) having various signal nodes for coupling to the connector pins.”).
Deng and Dhanasekaran are analogous art because they are from the same field of endeavor with respect to devices with USB receptacles.
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to use an OVP scheme, as taught by Dhanasekaran. The motivation would have been to protect the circuit against overvoltage events (Dhanasekaran, ¶0003).
Claims 6-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Deng, as evidenced by Orten for further support, as applied to claim 1 above, in view of Saramonic (Saramonic Smartphone Video and Vlogging Kit for iPhone & Android with Stereo Microphone, Phone Mount, Tripod, Headphone, Lightning & USB-C Output Cables and More (SmartMic MTV),SMARTMICMTV, Amazon, 8 Mar. 2021, www.amazon.com/Saramonic-Smartphone-Microphone-Headphone-Lightning/dp/B08YBTM7K8.).
As to claim 6, Deng, as evidenced by Orten, discloses an active noise reduction microphone (Deng, Figs. 1-2. See rejection of claim 1 above.) and an active noise reduction control board having the active noise reduction microphone circuit structure as claimed in claim 1 (See rejection of claim 1 above.);
the microphone being electrically connected to the preamplifier circuit (Deng, p. 4 ¶03 and Fig. 2. “Sound pickup module 40, comprising a sound pickup, gain adjusting switch, a preamplifier.”).
Deng does not expressly disclose an active noise reduction microphone, comprising a clamp, a retaining seat, an outer tube, and an electret condenser microphone;
the retaining seat being disposed on the clamp;
the active noise reduction control board being disposed in the retaining seat;
the outer tube being disposed on the retaining seat and extending in a front-to-rear direction, the outer tube having an accommodation chamber therein, a front end face of the outer tube having a through hole communicating with the accommodation chamber, an outside of the outer tube having a plurality of slots, the plurality of slots being arranged at intervals in the front-to-rear direction and communicating with the accommodation chamber;
the electret condenser microphone being disposed in the accommodation chamber, the electret condenser microphone having a sound-collecting tube, the sound-collecting tube extending in the front-to-rear direction and being disposed in the accommodation chamber, the sound-collecting tube having a plurality of sound holes, the plurality of sound holes facing the corresponding slots, respectively.
Saramonic discloses a microphone (Saramonic, p. 1 “SmartMic MTV Stereo Microphone. ” See images below.), comprising
a clamp (see images below),
a retaining seat (see images below),
an outer tube (see images below), and
an electret condenser microphone (Saramonic, p. 1 under About This Item. “Stereo condenser microphone.”);
the retaining seat being disposed on the clamp (see images below);
the control board being disposed in the retaining seat (Implicit that circuit is disposed in retaining seat. See images below.);
the outer tube being disposed on the retaining seat and extending in a front-to-rear direction (see images below),
the outer tube having an accommodation chamber therein (see images below),
a front end face of the outer tube having a through hole communicating with the accommodation chamber (see images below),
an outside of the outer tube having a plurality of slots (see images below),
the plurality of slots being arranged at intervals in the front-to-rear direction and communicating with the accommodation chamber (see images below);
the electret condenser microphone being disposed in the accommodation chamber (see images below),
the electret condenser microphone having a sound-collecting tube (see images below),
the sound-collecting tube extending in the front-to-rear direction and being disposed in the accommodation chamber (see images below),
the sound-collecting tube having a plurality of sound holes (see images below),
the plurality of sound holes facing the corresponding slots, respectively (see images below).
PNG
media_image1.png
982
1236
media_image1.png
Greyscale
PNG
media_image2.png
573
638
media_image2.png
Greyscale
PNG
media_image3.png
982
1236
media_image3.png
Greyscale
Deng and Saramonic are analogous art because they are from the same field of endeavor with respect to microphones.
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to use the microphone circuit in a microphone. The motivation would have been combining prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results (microphone circuitry in microphone device to process captured sound).
As to claim 7, Deng in view of Saramonic discloses wherein the clamp includes a clamp body (see images below),
a movable seat (see images below), and
a bracket (see images below);
the movable seat is disposed on the clamp body and is movable upward and downward, the bracket is disposed on the movable seat, and the retaining seat is mounted on the bracket (see images below).
PNG
media_image2.png
573
638
media_image2.png
Greyscale
The motivation is the same as claim 6 above.
As to claim 8, Deng in view of Saramonic discloses wherein the bracket is C-shaped and has a locking groove thereon (see image below), and
the retaining seat is connected to the locking groove in a snap-fit manner.
PNG
media_image3.png
982
1236
media_image3.png
Greyscale
PNG
media_image4.png
176
135
media_image4.png
Greyscale
PNG
media_image5.png
226
142
media_image5.png
Greyscale
The motivation is the same as claim 6 above.
As to claim 9, Deng in view of Saramonic discloses wherein a sponge sleeve is fitted on the outer tube (see images below).
PNG
media_image6.png
156
131
media_image6.png
Greyscale
PNG
media_image7.png
189
390
media_image7.png
Greyscale
The motivation is the same as claim 6 above.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: Wu (US 2009/0136062 A1) and Riccio (US 20220070564 A1).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAMES K MOONEY whose telephone number is (571)272-2412. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM -5:00 PM EST.
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, Vivian Chin can be reached at 5712727848. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/JAMES K MOONEY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2695