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 30-49 are pending.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the “alternating orientation, antiparallel, and parallel” of claims 36-37, 40-41 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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) 30-37, 38-39, 40-41, 44, 47-49 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a1) as being anticipated by Suzuki (US Patent No. 7174024).
Regarding claims 30, 35, 38-39, 49, Suzuki teaches an acoustic unit for a sound transducer unit (fig. 11, speaker embodiment) for generating and/or detecting sound waves, the acoustic unit comprising: a diaphragm (26, membrane); and a coil arrangement coupled to the diaphragm, the coil arrangement (L11-L38, coils) having at least one electrical conductor, wherein the at least one electrical conductor has conductor sections (fig. 12, coil sections) at least in a first conductor layer and a second conductor layer of the at least one electrical conductor, wherein: the first and second conductor layers are arranged one above the other (as shown by fig. 12); and at least one conductor section of the first conductor layer shares an overlap portion (fig. 13; wherein the dotted line of one section extends to another section for current flow; for illustration see fig. 11 which shows a representation of different sections of the coil connected that would allow current flow) with at least one conductor section of the second conductor layer in which the at least one conductor sections of the first and second conductor layers overlap (fig. 13).
Regarding claim 31, Suzuki teaches the acoustic unit of claim 30, wherein:the conductor sections overlap in a transverse direction of the coil arrangement and/or in longitudinal direction of the coil arrangement, and/or the overlap portion extends in the transverse direction and/or in the longitudinal direction of the coil arrangement (fig. 11; as shown the sections are formed in transverse and longitudinal directions based on the Applications own depiction in fig. 1, items 10 and 11).
Regarding claim 32, Suzuki teaches the acoustic unit of claim 30, wherein at least two of the conductor sections arranged in at least one of the first conductor layer or the second conductor layer together form a conductor section group (fig. 12; where sections are grouped).
Regarding claim 33, Suzuki teaches the acoustic unit of claim 32, wherein: a conductor section spacing and/or a conductor group spacing between two adjacent conductor sections and/or conductor section groups is less than 1 mm; and/or the conductor section spacing and/or the conductor group spacing is equal to or less than a magnet element width of a magnet element of the sound transducer unit (fig. 14, for example coil, L38, is shown less than or equal to magnet, m38).
Regarding claim 34, Suzuki teaches the acoustic unit of claim 32, wherein: a conductor section width of the conductor sections and/or a conductor group width of the conductor section group in a transverse direction of the coil arrangement is equal to or greater than an intended magnet element spacing between two magnet elements of the sound transducer unit; and/or a width of an open area in the transverse direction between two magnet elements of the sound transducer unit that are arranged directly consecutively in the transverse direction.
Regarding claim 36, Suzuki teaches the acoustic unit of claim 30, wherein the at least one electrical conductor is arranged such that electric current flowing therein is conductible alternatingly in the first and second conductor layers (fig. 13; it is depicted the current flow between sections alternatively).
Regarding claim 37, Suzuki teaches the acoustic unit of claim 30, wherein multiple conductor sections and/or conductor section groups are adjacently arranged in at least one of the first conductor layer or the second conductor layer (fig. 12; wherein it is shown sections and/or groups are adjacently arranged), and the at least one electrical conductor is arranged such that a current direction is alternatingly oriented in opposite directions in the adjacently arranged conductor sections and/or conductor section groups (fig. 13; it is depicted the current flow between sections alternatively).
Regarding claim 40, Suzuki teaches the acoustic unit of claim 30, wherein the conductor sections of at least one of the first conductor layer or the second conduct layer form a conductor section group, and the at least one electrical conductor is arranged such that electric currents flowing in the conductor sections of the conductor section group are oriented in parallel with one another and/or in the same direction (partial of fig. 12; the two dots shown in the picture below represent the positive and negative terminals. One terminal connects the bottom of the G4-G6 and the other terminal connects the top of G4-G6, so that the sets are oriented parallel).
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Regarding claim 41, Suzuki teaches the acoustic unit of claim 30, wherein the at least one electrical conductor is arranged such that electric currents of the conductor sections of two adjacent conductor section groups are oriented antiparallel to each other and/or in opposite directions (fig. 12; the two dots shown in the picture below represent the positive and negative terminals. One terminal connects the bottom of the G4-G6 and the other terminal connects the top of G4-G6, so that, for example, G3 is antiparallel to G6).
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Regarding claim 44, Suzuki teaches the acoustic unit of claim 30, wherein the at least one electrical conductor and/or the conductor sections have symmetry with respect to a mirror plane and/or a center of symmetry (fig. 11; the electrical coil pattern is symmetrical).
Regarding claim 47, Suzuki teaches the acoustic unit of claim 30, wherein: the coil arrangement is connected to the diaphragm and/or the at least one electrical conductor (L11-L38, coil) is formed with the diaphragm (26, vibrating membrane); and/or the coil arrangement is embedded into the diaphragm and/or is surrounded by the diaphragm material.
Regarding claim 48, Suzuki teaches a sound transducer unit (embodiment 2, fig. 11, acoustic device) for generating and/or detecting sound waves, the sound transducer unit comprising: at least one magnet unit (M11-M38, magnet) including multiple magnet elements; and at least one acoustic unit configured in accordance with claim 30.
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) 45-46 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Suzuki.
Regarding claim 45, Suzuki teaches the acoustic unit of claim 30, wherein: the at least one electrical conductor is printed using a 3D printing process; and/or the coil arrangement is formed by using a lithography process.
Suzuki fails to teach the process used for the electrical conductor. However, the Examiner takes Official Notice that it is extremely well-known for coil windings to be formed on membrane using 3D printing and/or lithography for fabricating repeating patterns.
One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have recognized that applying the known process in the invention would have yielded a predictable result.
Regarding claim 46, Suzuki teaches the acoustic unit of claim 30, wherein: the coil arrangement is resistant to deformation; and/or the coil arrangement and/or at least one of the first conductor layer or the second conductor layer is/are formed from silicon substrate.
Suzuki fails to teach the coil and/or conductor layer formed from silicon substrate. However, the Examiner takes Official Notice that it is well-known for coil to be formed from silicon material to benefit from the performance, stability and/or functionality of the material.
One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have recognized that applying the known material in the invention would have yielded a predictable result.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim(s) 42-43 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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PHYLESHA DABNEY whose telephone number is (571)272-7494. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Wednesday and Friday 10:30-4:30PM.
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June 13, 2026
/PHYLESHA DABNEY/Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2694
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