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 .
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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 6-8, and 11-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Lee (KR20-0380478).
With respect to claim 1 Lee discloses a sound absorbing panel (120) comprising:
A cavity section having a plurality of resonant cavities (as shown in figure 6); and
A front panel (123) having a plurality of sets of openings (133), each set configured to provide fluid communication between one of the plurality of resonant cavities and the environment,
Wherein each of the plurality of resonant cavities has different dimensions (as can be seen in figure 5 and 6) from the remaining plurality of resonant cavities such that each of the resonant cavities is tuned for a different frequency range (due to the size differences this is inherently the case).
With respect to claim 2 Lee further discloses wherein each of the sets of openings differs from the remaining sets of opening in at least one of opening size (shown in figure 6) length and distance between openings.
With respect to claim 3 Lee further discloses wherein at least one of the plurality of resonant cavities comprises outer walls and at least one baffle (125) such that the resonant cavity is coiled.
With respect to claim 6 Lee discloses a sound absorbing panel comprising:
At least one group of sound absorbing cells (see figures 5 and 6), each cell within the group comprising a resonant cavity with predetermined dimensions; and
A front panel (123) having a plurality of sets of openings, each set corresponding to a sound absorbing cell and configured to provide fluid communication between the resonant cavity of the cell and the environment,
Wherein the resonant cavity of each of the plurality of sound absorbing cells in the group has different dimensions from the remaining plurality of resonant cavities (see again figures 5 and 6) such that each of the resonant cavities in the group is tuned for a different frequency range.
With respect to claim 7 Lee further discloses wherein each of the sets of openings differs from the remaining sets of opening in at least one of opening size (shown in figure 6) length and distance between openings.
With respect to claim 8 Lee further discloses wherein at least one of the plurality of resonant cavities comprises outer walls and at least one baffle (125) such that the resonant cavity is coiled.
With respect to claim 11 Lee discloses a sound absorbing panel comprising:
A cavity section having a plurality of resonant cavities (see figures 5 and 6);
A front panel (123) having a plurality of sets of openings (133) each set configured to provide fluid communications between one of the plurality of resonant cavities and the environment;
A back panel (121) that otherwise isolates the plurality of resonant cavities from the environment; and
At least one group of sound absorbing cells, each cell comprising one of the resonant cavities and one of the plurality of openings (see again figures 5 and 6) wherein the resonant cavity of each of the plurality of sound absorbing cells in the group has different dimensions from the remaining plurality of resonant cavities such that each of the resonant cavities in the group is tuned for a different frequency range.
With respect to claim 12 Lee further discloses wherein each of the sets of openings differs from the remaining sets of opening in at least one of opening size (shown in figure 6) length and distance between openings.
With respect to claim 13 Lee further discloses wherein at least one of the plurality of resonant cavities comprises outer walls and at least one baffle (125) such that the resonant cavity is coiled.
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 4-5,9-10 and 14-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee (KR20-0380478).
With respect to claims 4,9 and 14 Lee discloses the resonant cavity being coiled in a manner as formed by the presence of the baffle 125, this separation is such that the cells are beside each other in a direction parallel to the front panel. It is therefore considered to be one of taught or at least suggested to one of ordinary skill in the art that the coiling is parallel to the plane defined by the front panel. Any variation of this arrangement to arrive at the claimed structure per se would be at most a rearrangement of the parts. It has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70.
With respect to claim 5 Lee discloses the resonant cavities being coiled which is formed by the placement of the baffle 125, the arrangement of the parts to provide such a coiling is such that one of ordinary skill in possession of the teachings of Lee, embodiments of figures 5 and 6 and the embodiments as shown in figures 10-12, would understand that multiple different arrangements of the baffles and cells is taught. From this one would determine the optimal arrangement of the cavities.
With respect to claims 10 and 15 Lee discloses embodiments which include perforated baffles which are both parallel to the front plate and ones that are perpendicular thereto, this would result in the cavities being arranged in such a manner as to provide arrangements of ce3lls which are coiled such that they are both parallel and perpendicular to the plane defined by the front panel (refer to embodiment of figure 12)
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Gandhe (USS1021155) discloses a building tile with different opening sizes; Versaevel (US11629644) discloses an acoustic attenuation panel with different cavity properties; Dyszkiewicz (US11131456) discloses an acoustic structure having different cell and opening sizes for attenuating different frequencies; Kim (US10+978036) discloses a sound absorbing cell and sound absorbing structure; Zalewski (US20150122577) discloses a low frequency acoustic attenuator with different cavity sizes; Ayle (US8733500) discloses an acoustic structure with internal baffles; and Kuehn (USD7804454) discloses a sheet having rectangular patten of different cavities.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FORREST M PHILLIPS whose telephone number is (571)272-9020. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday from 9:00-5:00.
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/FORREST M PHILLIPS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837