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 § 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.
Claim 40 is 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 applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 40 recites the limitation “the feedback wire” and "the conductive film." There is insufficient antecedent basis for these limitations in the claim. The limitation was not preceded by “a conductive film” nor “a feedback wire”.
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) 20-22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Qiu (CN 206136279).
Regarding claim 20, Qiu teaches A sounding unit, comprising: a mounting bracket, wherein the mounting bracket (Qiu figure 1, housing 100) has a magnet mounting area (Qiu figure 1 and ¶0040, magnetic system 400 Is mounted in the housing 100) and a diaphragm mounting area (Qiu figure 1 and ¶0032,diaphragm 200 is fixed on the housing 100); a plurality of magnet groups, wherein the plurality of magnet groups is arranged in the magnet mounting area and is arranged with an interval (Qiu figure 2, magnets 440 and 430), each of the magnet groups comprises a pair of magnets with the same magnetic poles arranged opposite to each other (Qiu figure 2 and ¶0039, “The second reinforcing magnet 440 is disposed opposite to the first reinforcing magnet 430”), an opposing gap is provided between each pair of the magnets (Qiu figure 2, gap between magnets 440 and 430), and a circuit placement area is provided between two adjacent magnet groups with opposite magnetic poles arranged opposite to each other (Qiu figure 5, coils 300 with portions 310,320 are connected to negative and positive terminals 510-520. Figure 2, each magnet pair with polarity S N is considered a magnet group, like magnet pair 430+440. There is a portion of coil 300 in between the two magnet pairs with polarity S N); a diaphragm, wherein the diaphragm is arranged in the diaphragm mounting area (Qiu figure 2 and ¶0039, diaphragm 200), the diaphragm is provided with a plurality of magnetic pole corresponding areas (Qiu figure 2, portions of diaphragm 200 between opposing magnets 440 and 430) and an energized circuit (Qiu figures 4-5, coil 300 on diaphragm 210 which are energized from terminals 510-520), the diaphragm is passed through the opposing gap (Qiu figure 2, diaphragm 200 in the gap between magnets 430 and 440), each of the magnet groups is arranged corresponding to one magnetic pole corresponding area (Qiu figure 2 and ¶0039, each space between two pair of magnets like 430-440 is considered a magnetic pole corresponding area), and the energized circuit is arranged in the circuit placement area (Qiu figure 5, terminals 510-520).
Regarding claim 21, Qiu teaches wherein the magnet group is arranged along a height direction of the mounting bracket to form a magnet column (Qiu figure 2, magnets 430 and 440 are stacked vertically), and a plurality of the magnet columns is arranged with an interval along a width direction of the mounting bracket (Qiu figure 2, gap between each vertically stacked magnetic pair); one magnet group is arranged in the magnet column (Qiu figure 2, magnets 430 and 440 are stacked vertically), and the opposing magnetic poles of two magnet groups in adjacent magnet columns are opposite (Qiu figure 2, magnets 430 and 440 are opposite polarity from the adjacent vertically stacked magnetic pairs); or a plurality of magnet groups is provided in the magnet column, and the plurality of magnet groups is arranged with an interval along a height direction of the mounting bracket, in the same magnet column, the opposing magnetic poles of two adjacent magnet groups are the same, and the opposing magnetic poles of two magnet groups in adjacent magnet columns are opposite.
Regarding claim 22, Qiu teaches a plurality of magnetic conductors, wherein the plurality of magnetic conductors is arranged with an interval along a height direction of the mounting bracket, and a gap is provided between two adjacent magnetic conductors; the magnetic conductor extends along a width direction of the mounting bracket and spans across the plurality of magnet columns, and is respectively connected with the magnet group with opposite magnetic poles arranged opposite to each other in adjacent magnet columns (Qiu figure 2, magnets N S, are magnets which can be considered magnetic conductors).
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) 23 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Qiu (CN 206136279) in view of Chen (US 2017/0245058).
Regarding claim 23, Qiu does not explicitly teach wherein a pole of the magnet column facing away from the diaphragm is provided with a magnetic field conductor, the magnetic conductor is connected with the magnetic field conductor.
Chen teaches wherein a pole of the magnet column (Chen figure 1, magnet 10) facing away from the diaphragm is provided with a magnetic field conductor (Chen figure 1, magnet 9), the magnetic conductor is connected with the magnetic field conductor (Chen figure 1, yoke 8).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the known technique of Chen to improve the known sounding unit of Qiu to achieve the predictable result of adjusting the magnetic flux of the device.
Claim(s) 24-25 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Qiu (CN 206136279) in view of Croft (US 2002/0118856).
Regarding claim 24, Qiu does not explicitly teach wherein the mounting bracket comprises an upper bracket plate, a lower bracket plate and a plurality of pairs of vertical plates; the plurality of pairs of the vertical plates is arranged with an interval between the upper bracket plate and the lower bracket plate, and an accommodation gap is provided between two the vertical plates in pairs; at least one of the upper bracket plate and the lower bracket plate is provided with a mounting hole, the mounting hole extends along an arrangement direction of the plurality of pairs of vertical plates and corresponding to the accommodation gap; a side of the vertical plate facing the accommodation gap is the magnet mounting area, and the accommodation gap and the mounting hole form the diaphragm mounting area.
Croft teaches wherein the mounting bracket comprises an upper bracket plate, a lower bracket plate (Croft figure 3, support structure 30a and 30b) and a plurality of pairs of vertical plates (Croft figure 3, the vertical plate between support structure 30a and 30b that surrounds the magnets. Fig 14, virtual poles 45a-b, 46a-b); the plurality of pairs of the vertical plates is arranged with an interval between the upper bracket plate and the lower bracket plate (Croft Fig 14, virtual poles 45a-b, 46a-b), and an accommodation gap is provided between two the vertical plates in pairs (Croft figure 15, gaps between 45a and 46a, and gap between 45b and 46b); at least one of the upper bracket plate and the lower bracket plate is provided with a mounting hole (Croft figure 15, chamber between the top and bottom frame 30a-b), the mounting hole extends along an arrangement direction of the plurality of pairs of vertical plates and corresponding to the accommodation gap (Croft figure 15, the gaps between 45a-b, 46a-b are part of the chamber); a side of the vertical plate facing the accommodation gap is the magnet mounting area, and the accommodation gap and the mounting hole form the diaphragm mounting area (Croft figure 15, ¶0026 virtual poles 45a-b, 46a-b are considered magnets which would be considered to be in a magnet mounting area).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the known technique of Croft to improve the known sounding unit of Qiu to achieve the predictable result of maximizing use of magnetic energy (Croft ¶0026).
Regarding claim 25, Qiu in view of Croft teaches wherein the mounting bracket comprises a first bracket plate and a second bracket plate (Croft figure 3, support structure 30a and 30b); the first bracket plate and the second bracket plate are arranged opposite to each other, and a mounting gap is provided between the first bracket plate and the second bracket plate (Croft figure 15, chamber between the supports structures 30a-b); the magnet group is arranged in the mounting gap (Croft figure 15, magnets 35a-c, 36a-c), and one magnet in each of the magnet groups is connected with the first bracket plate, and the other magnet is connected with the second bracket plate (Croft figure 15, magnets 35a-c connected to 30a, 36a-c connected to 30b); the first bracket plate and the second bracket plate are provided with a sound- transmitting structure (Croft ¶0020, “planar-magnetic speakers”).
Claim(s) 39-40 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Qiu (CN 206136279) in view of Kamata (US 2021/0352407).
Regarding claim 39, Qiu teaches the sounding unit according claim 20, however does not explicitly teach the sounding device arranged on the device main body.
Kamata teaches the sounding device arranged on the device main body (Kamata figure 1, speaker cabinet 80 with speaker unit 2).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the known technique of Kamata to improve the known Qiu to achieve the predictable result of producing sound on a portable device (Kamata ¶0062).
Regarding claim 40, Qiu in view of Kamata teaches a signal input circuit (Kamata figure 5, signal systems 71-74 with processing unit 21), a signal amplifier (Kamata figure 5, amplifier 22) and a feedback circuit (Kamata figure 5, optimization calculation unit 30); wherein, the signal input circuit has an input end and an output end, the input end is used to receive an external input signal, and the output end is connected with the signal amplifier (Kamata figure 5, signal processing unit receives audio signal ASi and outputs a signal to amplifier 22); the signal amplifier has an input port and an output port, the input port is connected with the output end (Kamata figure 5, signal processing unit a signal to amplifier 22), and the output port is connected with the energized circuit on the diaphragm (Kamata figure 5, amplifier 22 outputs signal to actuator 11); and the feedback wire on the conductive film is connected with one end of the feedback circuit, and the other end of the feedback circuit is connected with the input port.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 26-38 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 because the closest prior art either alone or in combination, fail to anticipate or render obvious, the claimed limitation of “wherein the diaphragm comprises: at least one insulating film, wherein the insulating film is provided with a magnetic pole corresponding area; a plurality of conductive films, wherein each of the conductive films is connected with at least one of the insulating films, the plurality of conductive films is arranged with an interval, and two sides of each of the conductive films are provided with the magnetic pole corresponding area respectively; and a plurality of connecting pieces, wherein the plurality of the conductive films is connected in series via the plurality of connecting pieces to form an energized circuit” in combination with all other limitations in the claim(s) as defined by the applicant.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NORMAN YU whose telephone number is (571)270-7436. The examiner can normally be reached on Mon - Fri 11am-7pm.
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/NORMAN YU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2693
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