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 . Claims 1-20 are pending.
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)(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.
Claim(s) 1-4, 13, 15-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a2) as being anticipated by Wakeland et al (US Publication No. 2020/0112783).
Regarding claim 1, Wakeland teaches an acoustic output apparatus, comprising: an acoustic driver including a diaphragm (12, diaphragm) and a magnetic circuit structure (14-16, magnetic structure), wherein a front side of the acoustic driver (at opening 24) is formed at a side of the diaphragm away from the magnetic circuit structure, a rear side of the acoustic driver (at plate, 16) is formed at a side of the magnetic circuit structure away from the diaphragm, and the diaphragm vibrates to cause the acoustic driver to radiate sound outward from the front side (sound from opening, 24) and the rear side of the acoustic driver (at radiating rear, 29); a housing structure (20, housing) configured to carry the acoustic driver, wherein the front side of the acoustic driver forms a cavity (arrow 13 denotes cavity) with the housing structure and radiates the sound towards the cavity, and the rear side of the acoustic driver (at plate 16) does not form a cavity with the housing structure and radiates the sound towards outside of the acoustic output apparatus without passing through any cavity (fig. 1, wherein sound radiates from side, 25).
Regarding claim 2, Wakeland teaches the acoustic output apparatus of claim 1, wherein phases of the sound radiated from the front side of the acoustic driver (fig. 1; sound radiate left out of opening, 24) and the sound radiated from the rear side of the acoustic driver are opposite (fig. 1; sound radiated right out of opening, 25).
Regarding claim 3, Wakeland teaches the acoustic output apparatus of claim 1, comprising at least one sound guiding hole (25-27) configured to guide the sound generated by the vibration of the diaphragm (12) to the outside of the acoustic output apparatus.
Regarding claim 4, Wakeland teaches the acoustic output apparatus of claim 3, wherein the at least one sound guiding hole (25-27) including a first hole portion (25) and a second hole portion (26) sequentially arranged from inside to outside, the first hole portion being in fluid communication with the second hole portion.
Regarding claim 13, Wakeland teaches the acoustic output apparatus of claim 3, wherein a sound guiding tube is arranged on the at least one sound guiding hole (25-27) along a direction away from the diaphragm (12), and the sound guiding tube guides the sound radiated from the at least one sound guiding hole to the outside of the acoustic output apparatus (though openings, 25-26).
Regarding claim 15, Wakeland teaches the acoustic output apparatus of claim 1, wherein a shape of the diaphragm (12) is flat or approximately flat.
Regarding claim 16, Wakeland teaches the acoustic output apparatus of claim 13, wherein the diaphragm (12) is fixed on the acoustic driver through a folding ring (18, flexible structure).
Regarding claim 17, Wakeland teaches the acoustic output apparatus of claim 16, wherein the folding ring (18) is recessed along a direction away from the cavity.
Regarding claim 18, Wakeland teaches the acoustic output apparatus of claim 1, wherein when a user wears the acoustic output apparatus (para 0029, off-ear headphones; fig. 10, eyeglass headphones), the acoustic output apparatus is close to but not block an ear canal of the user.
Regarding claim 19, Wakeland teaches the acoustic output apparatus of claim 1, wherein a sound path (fig. 1) from one side of the front side and the rear side of the acoustic driver (12, 14, 16 anticipated ) with a larger amplitude of high-frequency response to an ear is less than a sound path from the other side of the front side and the rear side to the ear (arrow 13 is less than arrow traveling between pole, 15 and diaphragm 12b and spillage to the environment is less entering the ear from the front side).
Regarding claim 20, Wakeland teaches the acoustic output apparatus of claim 1, wherein one side of the front side (fig. 2, opening, 24) and the rear side of the acoustic driver (fig. 2, opening 27 based on placement of item 24 in fig. 1) with a larger amplitude of high-frequency response faces an ear canal (¶0032).
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) 5, 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wakeland.
Regarding claim 5, 14, Wakeland fails to specifically teach dimensions for the apparatus, such as diameter (claim 5) or height (claim 14) measurements.
It would have been an obvious matter of design choice to construct the apparatus using any measurement since Applicant has not disclosed that the dimensions claimed solve any state problems or is for any particular purpose and it appears that the invention would perform or operate equally well using dimension consideration in Wakeland.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim(s) 6-12 is/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.
Conclusion
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March 25, 2026
/PHYLESHA DABNEY/Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2694