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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in Republic of Korea on 4/9/2024. It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the KR10-2024-0047723 application as required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: The brief description of the drawings does not provide sufficient description of the drawings (see 37 CFR 1.74, MPEP 608.01(f)).
Appropriate correction is required. The applicant is requested to provide a brief description of each individual drawing where possible.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 1-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tanaka (US 2022/0248115 A1) in view of Xu et al. (US 2023/0018811 A1, hereafter Xu).
Regarding claim 1, Tanaka teaches:
“A display device” (see Tanaka, abstract, figure 1, unit 100, and ¶ 0046) “comprising:
a display panel” (see Tanaka, figure 1-3, unit 10 and ¶ 0047);
“a frame located behind the display panel” (see Tanaka, figures 2-3, unit 20 and ¶ 0049); and
“a speaker coupled to a rear of the frame” (see Tanaka, figure 3, unit 200 and ¶ 0047).
However, Tanaka does not appear to clearly teach the all the features of a speaker including “a chamber which is formed between the speaker unit and the plate” and “a cushion occupying a portion of the chamber”.
Xu teaches a rear shell of a display with an accommodation cavity for a loudspeaker, where the rear shell body includes a cover plate with sound outlet holes for blocking an opening of the accommodation cavity (see Xu, abstract, figures 1 and 4, and ¶ 0024). Importantly, Xu teaches the rear shell of their present disclosure is for improving sound quality, such that resonance is reduced in the display device (see Xu, ¶ 0003-0004). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date to modify Tanaka with the teachings of Xu for the purpose of improving sound quality by reducing resonance and reducing damaging vibrations transmitted to the loudspeaker in the speaker unit (see Xu, ¶ 0025 and 0055-0056).
Therefore, the combination of Tanaka and Xu makes obvious:
“wherein the speaker comprises:
a speaker box” (see Tanaka, figure 4, unit 230 and ¶ 0052, and see Xu, figures 1-2, unit 12, and ¶ 0024-0025, where a speaker unit is arranged in an accommodation cavity, or box);
“a speaker unit coupled to the speaker box” (see Tanaka, ¶ 0053 and see Xu, figures 1-2, unit 10, and ¶ 0026 and 0058-0059);
“a plate covering the speaker unit and coupled to the speaker box” (see Tanaka, figure 2, units 30-31 and ¶ 0051 and see Xu, figures 1-2 and 4, unit 13, and ¶ 0024);
“a chamber which is formed between the speaker unit and the plate, and which is opened in one direction” (see Xu, figures 1-2, units 2 and 13, and ¶ 0024 and 0056-0059, where it is obvious to have a buffering foam to prevent damaging vibrations being transmitted to the loudspeaker, and the buffer form surrounds the plate cover in an annular ring, such that a chamber in front of the speaker cone (id., figure 1, unit 20) is formed, and sound outlet holes are provided in the cover for the formed chamber to be acoustically open in one direction); and
“a cushion occupying a portion of the chamber” (see Xu, figures 1-2, unit 2, where the buffering foam surrounds the plate cover inside a portion of the formed chamber).
Regarding claim 2, see the preceding rejection with respect to claim 1 above. The combination makes obvious the “display device of claim 1, wherein the speaker unit comprises:
a speaker frame coupled to the speaker box” (see Xu, figure 1, units 10 and 12, figure 2, units 10 and 101, and ¶ 0037, 0052, and 0058, where it is obvious to have a loudspeaker support, or speaker frame, coupled to the speaker box, or accommodation cavity to fix the speaker unit in the speaker box); and
“a diaphragm which is coupled to the speaker frame to be able to vibrate” (see Xu, figure 1, unit 20, figure 2, and ¶ 0058-0059),
“wherein the plate covers the speaker frame and the diaphragm” (see Xu, figure 1, units 10, 13, and 20, figure 2, units 10 and 13, and ¶ 0057-0059), and
“wherein the cushion is located on the speaker frame” (see Xu, figure 1, units 2 and 10, figure 2, units 2, 10, 13, and 101, and ¶ 0055-0059).
Regarding claim 3, see the preceding rejection with respect to claim 2 above. The combination makes obvious the “display device of claim 2, wherein the plate presses the cushion toward the speaker frame” (see Xu, figures 1 and 2, units 2, 10 and 13, figure 4, unit 13, and ¶ 0055-0058).
Regarding claim 4, see the preceding rejection with respect to claim 2 above. The combination makes obvious the “display device of claim 2, wherein the speaker frame has a ring shape” (see Xu, figure 1, units 2 and 10, figure 2, units 2, 10, and 101, and ¶ 0057, where Xu makes obvious a ring shaped speaker frame by teaching that the buffering foam, that surrounds the frame, has an annular shape) and
“wherein the cushion is opposite to an opening of the chamber and extends along the speaker frame to have an arc shape” (see Tanaka, figure 2, units 10, 20, and 30-31, figure 13, units 10, 20, 30, 202, figure 14, units 20, 30, 201, 221, and 222, figures 27-29, units 202, 221, and 800, ¶ 0047, 0079, 0082, and 0104-0106, teaches cushioning members opposite the opening end of the chamber, where the cushioning members are used to reduce vibrations transmitted to the rear frame of the display and to reduce vibrations transmitted to the rear cover that is coupled to the rear frame and the speaker units, and see Xu, figure 2, units 2, 11, 12, 113, and 114, figure 3, units 11, 111, and 122, and ¶ 0024 and 0036-0037, which teaches the speaker box, or accommodation cavity, in the rear shell body is bounded by a bottom plate, first to fourth connection walls, and an opening for a cover plate, and see Tanaka, ¶ 0082 and 0104, in view of Xu, ¶ 0054-0056, where it is obvious to use buffering foam where the speaker frame contacts the rear cover, or rear shell body, to reduce the transmission of vibrations, and further see Tanaka, figure 27, units 202, 221, and 800, and figures 30-31, units 202, 221, and 223a, and ¶ 0104 and 0108, in view of Xu, figure 1, unit 2 and ¶ 0054-0056, where it is further obvious to use cushions, cushioning members, or buffering foam, that has an arc shape to suppress vibration transmitted between the speaker frame and the rear cover or rear shell body).
Regarding claim 5, see the preceding rejection with respect to claim 2 above. The combination makes obvious the “display device of claim 2, wherein the speaker box comprises:
a coupling portion at which the plate is located” (see Xu, figures 1-2, units 3 and 13 and ¶ 0040);
“a recessed portion recessed from the coupling portion” (see Xu, figure 2, units 3 and 101, where the speaker box has recessed portions for the speaker unit); and
“a support portion which forms a step lowered from the recessed portion, and at which the speaker frame is located” (see Xu, figure 1, unit 116 and 1161-1162, figure 1-2, units 10, 103, and 1032, and ¶ 0052) and
“wherein the recessed portion is located between the coupling portion and the support portion, and occupies a portion of the chamber” (see Xu, figure 2, units 1032, figure 5, units 103, 1031-1033, and 1161, and ¶ 0052).
Regarding claim 6, see the preceding rejection with respect to claim 5 above. The combination makes obvious the “display device of claim 5, wherein, with respect to the coupling portion, a depth of the recessed portion is smaller than a depth of the speaker frame” (see Xu, figure 2, units 2-3, 10, 13, and 101 and ¶ 0040 and 0058-0059, where the plate attaches to recessed fixation columns, and the recessed portions of the speaker box are smaller in depth such that a cavity exists towards the rear of the speaker box).
Claim(s) 13 and 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over the combination of Tanaka and Xu as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Kim et al. (US 2022/0167079 A1 and hereafter Kim).
Regarding claim 13, see the preceding rejection with respect to claim 1 above. The combination of Tanaka and Xu makes obvious the display device of claim 1, where speakers are arranged behind a rear cover and/or a cover plate with sound outlet holes (see Tanaka, figure 2, units 20 and 30-31 and ¶ 0051, and see Xu, figure 1, units 13 and 115, and ¶ 0024). However, the combination does not appear to teach the features where “the speaker further comprises a duct”.
Kim teaches an electronic device, such as a smartphone, including a speaker unit (see Kim, abstract, figures 1-2, and ¶ 0250). Herein, Kim teaches a first speaker unit for the smartphone, such that a duct and chambers are formed to adjust the frequency response of the output sound (see Kim, figure 7, units 260, 270, and 275, figure 8, units 250, 253, 260, C1, C2, and D1, and ¶ 0096 and 0128-0131). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date to modify the combination of Tanaka and Xu with the teachings of Kim for the purpose of providing a portable device that provides better sound quality from a speaker unit in a small form factor by designing resonator structures with desired characteristics (see Kim, ¶ 0129-0131).
Therefore, the combination of Tanaka, Xu, and Kim makes obvious the “display device of claim 1, wherein the speaker further comprises a duct which is adjacent to an opening of the chamber and which provides a flow path connecting an inside of the speaker box and an outside of the speaker box” (see Xu, figure 2, units 10-13 and 113-114 and ¶ 0036-0037, in view of Kim, figure 8, units 201, 250, and D1, and ¶ 0121 and 0128, which makes obvious a duct that connects an inside of the speaker box and an outside of the speaker box).
Regarding claim 15, see the preceding rejection with respect to claim 1 above. The combination of Tanaka and Xu makes obvious the display device of claim 1, where speakers are arranged on various sides of the display’s rear frame (see Tanaka, figures 3 and 19-20, units 20 and 201-202 and ¶ 0096). However, the combination does not appear to teach the features for “a battery coupled to a rear of the frame”.
Kim teaches an electronic device, such as a smartphone, including a speaker unit (see Kim, abstract, figures 1-2, and ¶ 0250). Herein, Kim teaches a battery, such as a rechargeable battery, for supplying power to the electronic device (see Kim, figure 3, unit 291 and ¶ 0067-0068 and 0079). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date to modify the combination of Tanaka and Xu with the teachings of Kim for the purpose of providing a portable device that is useable while unplugged from a mains power supply.
Therefore, the combination of Tanaka, Xu, and Kim makes obvious the “display device of claim 1, further comprising a battery coupled to a rear of the frame” (see Tanaka, figure 3, units 10 and 20, in view of Kim, figure 3, units 222 and 291, and ¶ 0074), and
“wherein the speaker comprises:
a first speaker located between a first side of the frame and the battery” (see Tanaka, figures 3 and 19-20, units 20 and 201-202 and ¶ 0096, in view of Kim, figure 3, unit 240, figure 5, units 240 and 250, and ¶ 0074-0075 and 0095); and
“a second speaker located between the battery and a second side of the frame opposite the first side” (see Tanaka, figures 3 and 19-20, units 20 and 201-202 and ¶ 0096, in view of Kim, figure 3, unit 300, figure 9, units 222 and 300, and ¶ 0074, 0081-0083, and 0137).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7-12 and 14 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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Seo et al. (US 2013/0094685 A1) teaches a micro speaker module for a portable electronic device (see Seo, abstract, figures 1-5, and ¶ 0005);
Park et al. (US 2020/0196046 A1) teaches an electronic device with an acoustic module (see Park, abstract and figures 1-11); and
Su et al. (US 2021/0274279 A1) teaches a display with a sound emitting device (see Su, abstract and figures 1-7).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Daniel R Sellers whose telephone number is (571)272-7528. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Fri 10:00-4:00.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Fan S Tsang can be reached at (571)272-7547. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Daniel R Sellers/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2694
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