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 .
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.
Claims 1-2 and 4-8 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Nozaki, U.S. Publication No. 2020/0228899, published on July 16, 2020 (Nozaki).
As to Claim 1, Nozaki discloses a dust cap [62f] to be provided at a central portion of a diaphragm [1b] included in an electroacoustic transducer [100] (para. 0023, lines 1-5), wherein a first cross-sectional shape of the dust cap [62f] in a first plane and a second cross-sectional shape of the dust cap [62f] in a second plane are different, the first plane including a reference axis that extends in a vibration direction of the diaphragm [1b] and is predetermined, the second plane including the reference axis and being orthogonal to the first plane (the two cross sections are shown in a markup of Fig. 11 below. The first cross section would look similar to Fig. 6, the second cross section would look different from Fig. 6, since in the there is only one rib on the dust cap in the Fig. 11 embodiment; para. 0052, lines 9-14).
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As to Claim 2, Nozaki remains as applied above to Claim 1. Nozaki further discloses that the first cross-sectional shape is defined by any two sides of a triangle (two sides of a triangle define part of the cross section at [62a]; see Fig. 6).
As to Claim 4, Nozaki remains as applied above to Claim 1. Nozaki further discloses that a cross-sectional shape of the dust cap [62f] changes continuously from the first cross-sectional shape to the second cross-sectional shape (the rib, at [62a] in Fig. 6, is shaped as a valley having a slope, which would imply a gradual, continuous change in cross section; see Fig. 6).
As to Claim 5, Nozaki remains as applied above to Claim 1. Nozaki further discloses that a cross-sectional shape of the dust cap [62f] in a plane that is orthogonal to the reference axis is curved (a cross section of round dust cap [62f] along the z-axis in Fig. 11 would be curved; See Fig. 11).
As to Claim 6, Nozaki remains as applied above to Claim 1. Nozaki further discloses that the dust cap [62f] is formed by papermaking using a material including at least one of pulp or a synthetic fiber (the dust cap can be formed from paper, which is made from pulp; para. 0032).
As to Claim 7, Nozaki remains as applied above to Claim 1. Nozaki further discloses that the dust cap [62f] is formed by injection-molding of a resin (para. 0032).
As to Claim 8, Nozaki remains as applied above to Claim 1. Nozaki further discloses that the dust cap [62f] is formed by press-forming a material that is in a form of a sheet or film (para. 0069).
As to Claim 10, Nozaki remains as applied above to Claim 1. Nozaki further discloses a diaphragm [1]; a magnetic circuit [21]; a frame [3] that holds the magnetic circuit [21] (para. 0033, lines 8-9) and the diaphragm [1] (para. 0023, lines 6-7; see Fig. 3); and a voice coil [20] that is connected to the diaphragm [1] and disposed in a magnetic gap [26] of the magnetic circuit [21] (para. 0034, lines 8-10; see Fig. 3).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3, 9 and 11 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. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Claim 3 recites the unique feature of the first cross-sectional shape being defined by two oblique sides of an isosceles triangle. Claims 9 and 11 both recite the unique features of the cross-sectional shape of the first portion being a circular arc having a first radius of curvature, the cross-sectional shape of the second portion being a circular arc having a second radius of curvature different from the first radius of curvature, the cross-sectional shape of the third portion defined by a portion of an ellipse.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Ryan Robinson whose telephone number is (571) 270-3956. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday through Friday from 9 am to 5 pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor, Fan Tsang, can be reached on (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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/RYAN ROBINSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2694
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