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 .
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim(s) 9-10 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(s) 2-5, 11, 15-18 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter for the above claims: although, prior arts overall disclose of device with multiple holes to output sounds including output device comprising: a driver unit; and a housing that internally accommodates the driver unit, wherein an acoustic signal emitted from the driver unit to one side is set as a first acoustic signal, and an acoustic signal emitted from the driver unit to another side is set as a second acoustic signal, a wall portion of the housing is provided with a single or plurality of first sound holes for leading out the first acoustic signal to an outside and a single or plurality of second sound holes for leading out the second acoustic signal to an outside and in a case where the first acoustic signal is emitted from the first sound holes and the second acoustic signal is emitted from the second sound holes, an attenuation rate of the first acoustic signal at a second point with reference to a predetermined first point, where the first acoustic signal arrives at the first point and the second point is farther from the acoustic signal output device than the first point, is designed to be equal to or less than a predetermined value smaller than an attenuation rate due to air propagation of an acoustic signal at the second point with reference to the first point, or an attenuation amount of the first acoustic signal at the second point with reference to the first point is designed to be equal to or more than a predetermined value larger than an attenuation amount due to air propagation of an acoustic signal at the second point with reference to the first point.
However, overall none of prior disclose of the helmholtz resonance according to various specifications including a length of the first sound holes and the second sound holes in a depth direction, a sum of an opening area of the first sound holes and the second sound holes, and a volume of an internal space of the housing are designed such that a resonance frequency based on Helmholtz resonance of the housing belongs to a predetermined frequency band within an audible frequency band.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
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) 1, 6-7, 13-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang et al. (CA 3, 153, 521) and Umeda et al. (US 2012/0287303 A1).
Claim 1, Zhang et al. disclose of an acoustic signal output device comprising: a driver unit (fig.1 (120); par [54]) and a housing that internally accommodates the driver unit (fig.1 (110); par [54]), wherein an acoustic signal emitted from the driver unit to one side is set as a first acoustic signal, and an acoustic signal emitted from the driver unit to another side is set as a second acoustic signal (fig.1 (113-114); par [54]) , a wall portion of the housing is provided with a single or plurality of first sound holes for leading out the first acoustic signal to an outside and a single or plurality of second sound holes for leading out the second acoustic signal to an outside, where the first acoustic signal is emitted from the first sound holes, the second acoustic signal is emitted from the second sound holes (fig.1 (113-114); par [54]).
Although, none of the mentioned prior art specify as in a case where the first acoustic signal is emitted from the first sound holes, the second acoustic signal is emitted from the second sound holes, an attenuation rate of the first acoustic signal at a second point with reference to a predetermined first point, where the first acoustic signal arrives at the first point and the second point is farther from the acoustic signal output device than the first point, is designed to be equal to or less than a predetermined value smaller than an attenuation rate due to air propagation of an acoustic signal at the second point with reference to the first point, or an attenuation amount of the first acoustic signal at the second point with reference to the first point is designed to be equal to or more than a predetermined value larger than an attenuation amount due to air propagation of an acoustic signal at the second point with reference to the first point.
But, the prior as in Umeda et al. disclose of the similar aspect of certain amount of attenuation due to propagation of sound in the air including an attenuation rate of the first acoustic signal at a second point with reference to a predetermined first point, where the first acoustic signal arrives at the first point and the second point is farther from the acoustic signal output device than the first point, is designed to be equal to or less than a predetermined value smaller than an attenuation rate due to air propagation of an acoustic signal at the second point with reference to the first point (fig.5; par [62]). Thus, it would have been obvious for one of the ordinary skills in the art to have modified the prior art by adding such aspect related to adding sound with device certain amount of attenuation due to propagation of sound in the air including an attenuation rate of the first acoustic signal at a second point with reference to a predetermined first point, where the first acoustic signal arrives at the first point and the second point is farther from the acoustic signal output device than the first point, is designed to be equal to or less than a predetermined value smaller than an attenuation rate due to air propagation of an acoustic signal at the second point with reference to the first point so as to determine the sound output over time and thus appropriately determine the target sound.
Thus, the prior art also lacked of the detail regarding a position of the first sound holes is biased to an eccentric position deviated from a center of a region of the wall portion arranged on the one side of the driver unit (zhang-fig.1 (114/120); par [54]/the sound driver and corresponding sound is centrally located according to wall output).
But, the prior art never specify of human auditory sensitivity to an acoustic signal having a resonance frequency equal to or higher than a predetermined frequency of the housing in which a position of the first sound holes is biased to the eccentric position is lower than human auditory sensitivity to an acoustic signal having a resonance frequency equal to or higher than the predetermined frequency of the housing in a case where the first sound holes are assumed to be provided at a center position that is a center of a region of the wall portion arranged on the one side of the driver unit (zhang-par [58, 78, 85, 100]), and/or sharpness of a peak at the predetermined frequency or higher of magnitude of the first acoustic signal emitted from the first sound holes and/or the second acoustic signal emitted from the second sound holes of the housing in which a position of the first sound holes is biased to the eccentric position is blunter than sharpness of a peak at the predetermined frequency or higher of magnitude of the first acoustic signal emitted from the first sound holes and/or the second acoustic signal emitted from the second sound holes of the housing in a case where the first sound holes are assumed to be provided at the center position (this aspect regarding the sharpness peak is not given weight since , it is part of an optional features).
Claim 6, the acoustic signal output device according to claim 1, wherein a direction between a first direction and a direction opposite to the first direction is a second direction, the first sound holes are provided on the first direction side of the housing, and the second sound holes are provided on the second direction side of the housing (zhang-fig.1 (113-114); par [54]).
Claim 7.The acoustic signal output device according to claim 1, wherein the second sound holes are provided in the wall portion in contact with a region positioned on the other side of the driver unit (zhang-fig.1 (114); par [54]). .
13. (Currently Amended) The acoustic signal output device according to wherein the wall portion arranged on the other side of the driver unit is not in contact with the driver unit, a distance between the driver unit and the wall portion arranged on the other side of the driver unit is noted (zhang-fig.1 (120 vs 110); par [54]).
However, the art never limit such distance as being 5 mm or less, however, one of the ordinary skills in he art could have varied the provided distance by specifying if desired such distance as being 5 mm or less for achieving the same result as to reduce sound leakage.
The art further disclose of a direct wave of the second acoustic signal is mainly emitted from the second sound holes (zhang-fig.1 (113); par [54])).
14. (Currently Amended) The acoustic signal output device according to claim 2, wherein an opening end of the second sound holes is directed to a side edge portion on the other side of the driver unit, and a direct wave of the second acoustic signal is mainly emitted from the second sound holes (zhang-fig.1 (113); par [54])).
However, the art never limit such second sound holes is directed to a side edge portion on the other side of the driver unit, however, one of the ordinary skills in he art could have varied the second hole by adding if desired such second sound holes is directed to a side edge portion on the other side of the driver unit for achieving the same result as to reduce sound leakage.
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang et al. (CA 3, 153, 521) and Umeda et al. (US 2012/0287303 A1) and Wang et al. EP (4, 109,925 A1).
Claim 8. (Original) The acoustic signal output device according to claim 6, but Zhan never specify as wherein a plurality of the second sound holes is provided along a circumference centered on an axis along an emission direction of the first acoustic signal.
Shenzhen disclose of a similar system wherein a plurality of the second sound holes is provided along a circumference centered on an axis along an emission direction of the first acoustic signal (par [82]; fig.1 (112)). Thus, one of the ordinary skills in the art could have modified the prior art by adding such noted aspect related to plurality of the second sound holes is provided along a circumference centered on an axis along an emission direction of the first acoustic signal so as to reduce sound leakage.
Claim(s) 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang et al. (CA 3, 153, 521) and Umeda et al. (US 2012/0287303 A1) and Borgmannet al. (US 8,611,576 B2).
12. (Currently Amended) The acoustic signal output device according to claim 1, although, the art never specify as wherein the housing includes an internal structure that reduces reverberation of the second acoustic signal inside the housing, and a direct wave of the second acoustic signal is mainly emitted from the second sound holes.
But Borgmannet al. disclose of a similar device including housing includes an internal structure that reduces reverberation of the second acoustic signal inside the housing, and a direct wave of the second acoustic signal is mainly emitted from the second sound holes (fig.1 (3); col.3 line 35-45). Thus, one of the ordinary skills could have modified the priori art by adding such aspect related to housing includes an internal structure that reduces reverberation of the second acoustic signal inside the housing, and a direct wave of the second acoustic signal is mainly emitted from the second sound holes so as to reduce sound absorption and thus damp disturbing sounds.
Conclusion
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/DISLER PAUL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2695
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