The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
The specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
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.
Claims 2-10 are 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 2 is indefinite on lines 14-15 because it is not understood what one means by “at least one extending member connected to the speaker housing”. There is no clear antecedent basis for “the speaker housing”. Perhaps claim 2 should be amended to be “at least one extending member connected to the speaker enclosure” to clarify the claim language.
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.
Claims 2 and 4-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Haastrup et al. (US 2019/0364357).
Regarding claim 2, Haastrup discloses a teleconferencing system (see figs. 5-7, for example), comprising: a system housing 710; a speaker enclosure 500 configured within the system housing 710; a speaker mounted to the speaker enclosure 500; and one or more damping elements 620, 640 coupling the speaker enclosure 500 to the system housing 710, wherein the one more damping elements 620, 640 suspend the speaker enclosure 500 within the system housing 710 such that the speaker enclosure 500 is isolated and separate from the system housing 710 be at least a minimum distance. The one or more damping elements 620, 640 provide the only structural coupling between the speaker enclosure 500 and the system housing 710. The one or more damping elements 620, 640 are directly connected to the speaker enclosure 500 with a resilient member 640. The resilient member 640 includes a ring (e.g., a ring-shaped portion of the resilient member 640 which extends through opening 625) with at least one extending member (e.g., an elongated portion of the resilient member 640 extending from the ring-shaped portion) connected to the speaker enclosure 500 as claimed (see figs. 6-7, for example).
Regarding claim 4, the one or more damping elements 620, 640 are configured to support and suspend the speaker enclosure 500 within the system housing 710 along three dimensions. See para. 0004.
Regarding claim 5, the teleconferencing system further includes a microphone disposed in the system housing 710. The one or more damping elements 620, 640 are configured to reduce an amount of mechanical energy generated by the speaker and coupled to the microphone via the one or more damping elements 620, 640. See para. 0005 and fig. 2, for example.
Regarding claims 6 and 7, the one or more damping elements 620, 640 dampen audio spectrum mechanical energy generated by the speaker and mechanically coupled to the system housing 710 by at least 6 dB. The audio spectrum is a voice spectrum of 100 Hz – 3000 Hz. See para. 0005.
Regarding claim 8, the one or more damping elements 620, 640 have a non-linear force response profile. See para. 0005.
Regarding claim 9, the minimum distance is 2 mm. See para. 0004.
Regarding claim 10, the resilient member 640 is silicone rubber with hardness of Share A 35º - 55º. See para. 0029, regarding “damping cushions … comprised of a pliable compound such as rubber (e.g., silicone), …” See also, para. 0036, regarding “damping cushions can have a hardness (durometer) of Sharon A 40º - 50º, though other values are possible.”
Claim 3 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claims 11-20 are allowed.
Applicant's arguments filed April 27, 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. The applicant argues that “claim 2 is believed to be allowable because the prior art does not show the claimed ring with at least one extending member connected to the speaker enclosure.” The examiner respectfully disagrees. As explained in the rejection above, Haastrup discloses in reference to figures 6 and 7, for example, that the resilient member 640 includes a ring (e.g., a ring-shaped portion of the resilient member 640 which extends through opening 625) with at least one extending member (e.g., an elongated portion of the resilient member 640 extending from the ring-shaped portion) connected to the speaker enclosure 500 as claimed.
Accordingly, the rejections are deemed correct and are maintained.
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PAUL W HUBER whose telephone number is (571)272-7588.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Duc Nguyen, can be reached at telephone number 571-272-7503. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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Examiner interviews are available via a variety of formats. See MPEP § 713.01. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) Form at https://www.uspto.gov/InterviewPractice.
/PAUL W HUBER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2691
pwh
May 27, 2026
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