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 Japan on 04/28/2022. It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the JP2022-074284 application as required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Response to Amendment
The Office Action is responsive to amendments filed for application 18/799,279 filed on 05/15/2026.
Please note claims 1-4, and 6-8 remain in the application.
In response to the replacement drawings filed, the previous objection to the drawings has been withdrawn.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim 1 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
Claims 1-4, and 6-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Konuma, Japanese Patent Publication No JP 2010010791 A (previously cited), in view of Kim et al, (hereinafter Kim), US-PG-PUB No. 2020/0186929. and Yamamuro, US Patent No. 3,867,587 (previously cited).
Regarding claim 1, Konuma discloses an electroacoustic transducer (A speaker device, ¶[0001], line 1) comprising:
a diaphragm (¶[0043], line 2) to which a voice coil is connected (¶[0043], lines 2-3); and
a magnetic circuit (¶[0043], line 1) part that forms a magnetic gap (¶[0043], line 1) which is a space in which the voice coil vibrates (The voice coil is fitted to the magnetic gap of the magnetic circuit…..¶[0043], line 1), the magnetic circuit part including:
a permanent magnet (Shown in Fig. 1, magnet (21).....¶[0027], line 2) that is magnetized in a thickness direction (All magnets are magnetized in some thickness direction. This one is magnetized along axis SD of Fig. 1.....¶[0028], lines 3-4),
a pole piece (Fig. 1, (22)) that is magnetically connected (The pole piece is a ferromagnetic material attached to the permanent magnet, and is therefore magnetically connected.....¶[0029], lines 1-2) to one surface of the permanent magnet in the thickness direction (Shown in Fig. 1, pole piece (22) is connected to magnet (21) at the top surface along axis SD), and
a yoke body (Fig. 1, (23).....¶[0037], line 1) that includes
i) a bottom surface part (Bottom surface part (231).....¶[0037], line 3) on which the permanent magnet is disposed (The magnet (21) is provided to the yoke (23).....¶[0037], lines 2-3) and
ii) a peripheral wall part (Peripheral side portion (232).....¶[0037], line 4) extending from a peripheral edge of the bottom surface part in a direction away from the bottom surface part (Shown in Fig. 1B, detailed in ¶[0037], lines 5-6),
with the bottom surface part being magnetically connected (The yoke piece is a magnetic material and therefore connects to the permanent magnet magnetically.....¶[0037], lines 1-2) to the other surface of the permanent magnet in the thickness direction (Shown in Fig. 1(B), the top of the bottom surface part (231) is connected to the bottom of the permanent magnet (21) along the same axis as the pole piece), and
the pole piece is a stacked component (The pole piece is made of four stacked plates (221, 222, 223, 224).....¶[0030], lines 1-2) in which a plurality of magnetic metal plates are stacked in the thickness direction of the permanent magnet (Shown in Fig. 1, plates are stacked along axis SD).
Konuma fails to disclose wherein the both the bottom surface part and the peripheral wall part of the yoke are stacked components in which a plurality of magnetic metal plates electrically insulated from each other are stacked, wherein the peripheral wall comprises a plurality of annular magnetic metal plates having the same shape, and additionally fails to disclose wherein the plurality of magnetic metal plates of the pole piece are electrically insulated from each other.
Kim teaches a t-yoke, analogous to the u-yoke of Konuma, (shown in Fig. 9), comprised of a bottom surface part (Shown in Fig. 9, the lower, wider part of the yoke) and a center pole (analogous to the peripheral wall piece of Konuma as it is the part of the yoke extending from the bottom surface) wherein both the bottom surface part and the center pole part of the yoke are stacked components (Parent members (100) (components) may be stacked alternating with heterogenous layers (200)…..¶[0072], lines 1-4) in which a plurality of magnetic metal plates (Parent members (stacking components) may be formed of iron (magnetic metal).....¶[0056], lines 1-3) are stacked (¶[0072], lines 16-19), and wherein the center pole comprises a plurality of circular magnetic metal plates having the same shape (visible in Fig. 9).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Konuma by Kim to provide the benefit of control of eddy currents (Kim, ¶[0073]). Such modification would make obvious the feature(s) wherein the peripheral wall of Konuma’s U-yoke is constructed using the teachings of Kim’s T-yoke, resulting in wherein both the bottom surface part and the peripheral wall part of the yoke are stacked components in which a plurality of magnetic metal plates are stacked, wherein the peripheral wall comprises a plurality of annular magnetic metal plates having the same shape.
This combination still fails to teach wherein the plurality of magnetic metal plates of the pole piece and the yoke are electrically insulated from each other.
Yamamuro teaches a transducer wherein a pole piece is a stacked component (Fig. 3, symbol 7, Col. 2, lines 24-27) in which a plurality of magnetic metal plates are electrically insulated from each other (The magnetic layers are separated by electrically insulating layers…..Col. 2, lines 64-67).
As the pole piece of Yamamuro is a stacked component of a plurality of magnetic metal plates, it is analogous to both the pole piece of Konuma, as well as the yoke taught by the combination of Konuma and Kim. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Konuma and Kim by Yamamuro to provide the benefit of a more electrically efficient transducer by decreasing power loss from eddy currents (Yamamuro, Col. 2, lines 66-67). Such modification would make obvious the features wherein the plurality of the magnetic metal plates of the yoke as well as the pole piece are electrically insulated from each other.
Regarding claim 2, the combination of Konuma, Kim, and Yamamuro, as explained above, teach the electroacoustic transducer according to claim 1.
Konuma additionally teaches a ring yoke (Shown in Fig. 1(B), top plate (24).....¶[0037], line 7) that is disposed around the periphery of the pole piece (Visible in Fig. 1(B)), is magnetically (The top plate is a ferromagnetic material.....¶[0037], lines 7-8) connected to the yoke body (The top plate is provided to the upper end of the yoke body.....¶[0037], lines 7-8), and forms the magnetic gap with the pole piece (Shown in Fig. 1(B), the magnetic gap (MG1) is between the ring yoke (24) and pole piece (22)), wherein the ring yoke is a stacked component in which a plurality of magnetic metal plates are stacked in a thickness direction of the permanent magnet (Shown in Fig. 11, the ring yoke may be embodied as a stacked plurality of magnetic metal plates.....¶[0075], lines 3-4, ¶[0053], lines 4-5).
Konuma fails to teach wherein the plurality of magnetic metal plates are electrically insulated from each other.
Yamamuro teaches wherein an analogous ring piece is a stacked component (Fig. 3, symbol 4, Col. 2, lines 24-27) in which a plurality of magnetic metal plates are electrically insulated from each other (The magnetic layers are separated by electrically insulating layers…..Col. 2, lines 64-67).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have further modified the combination of Konuma, Kim, and Yamamuro to further incorporate the teachings of Yamamuro, and provide wherein the plurality of magnetic metal plates are electrically insulated from each other. This would provide the benefit of a more electrically efficient transducer by decreasing power loss from eddy currents (Yamamuro, Col. 2, lines 66-67).
Regarding claim 3, the combination of Konuma, Kim, and Yamamuro, as explained above, teach the electroacoustic transducer according to claim 1.
Konuma additionally teaches a concave part to which the stacked component of the bottom surface part is securely attached is formed in the peripheral wall part (Shown in Fig. 15, the extremities of the lower plate (238N) fit within a recession (concave part) of peripheral wall (23N).....¶[0085], lines 10-11), and the concave part includes:
a receiving surface for receiving one surface of the stacked component of the bottom surface part, and an inner peripheral surface for supporting an outer peripheral surface of the stacked component of the bottom surface part (Shown in Fig. 15, the concave part receives the bottom surface part, connecting to the edge of the top surface as well as the outer peripheral edge).
Regarding claim 4, the combination of Konuma, Kim, and Yamamuro, as explained above, teach the electroacoustic transducer according to claim 3.
Konuma additionally teaches wherein a depth of the concave part is the same as the thickness of the bottom surface part (Shown in Fig. 15, the concave part fits flush to the bottom surface part, indicating a same thickness).
Regarding claim 6, the combination of Konuma, Kim, and Yamamuro, as explained above, teach the electroacoustic transducer according to claim 1.
Yamamuro additionally teaches wherein the magnetic metal plates of the stacked component are electrically insulated from each other by bonding adjacent magnetic metal plates with an adhesive (Adhesive paste layers….Col. 3, line 8).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have further modified the combination of Konuma, Kim, and Yamamuro to further incorporate the teachings of Yamamuro, and provide wherein the magnetic metal plates of the stacked component are electrically insulated from each other by bonding adjacent magnetic metal plates with an adhesive. Such modification would provide the benefit of a more electrically efficient transducer by decreasing power loss from eddy currents due to the non-conductive nature of the paste (Yamamuro, Col. 2, lines 66-67).
Regarding claim 7, the combination of Konuma, Kim, and Yamamuro, as explained above, teach the electroacoustic transducer according to claim 1.
Konuma additionally teaches wherein the permanent magnet has a cylindrical shape (The magnetic gap and pole piece are of a circular shape, clearly directing the embodiment towards wherein the permanent magnet is also a circular shape.....¶[0038], lines 2-3), the pole piece is a stacked component (The pole piece is made of four stacked plates (221, 222, 223, 224).....¶[0030], lines 1-2) in which a plurality of the magnetic metal plates (The pole piece is formed of a ferromagnetic material.....¶[0029], line 1) having circular shapes (Shown in Fig. 2A, the pole piece (22) is circular) are stacked, the bottom surface part of the yoke body is a magnetic metal plate (The yoke piece is a magnetic material.....¶[0037], lines 1-2) having a circular shape (Cylindrical (circular) outer periphery.....¶[0085], lines 7-8), and the stacked component of the pole piece and the stacked component of the bottom surface part of the yoke body are both formed to have a diameter larger than a diameter of the permanent magnet (Shown in Fig. 1B, all plates of pole piece (22) and the bottom plate (23) extend past the diameter of the permanent magnet (21)).
Regarding claim 8, the combination of Konuma, Kim, and Yamamuro, as explained above, teach the electroacoustic transducer according to claim 2.
Konuma additionally teaches wherein the number of layers of the magnetic metal plates constituting the pole piece and the number of layers of the magnetic metal plates constituting the ring yoke are the same (Shown in Fig. 11, the number of layers of each piece are the same), and a thickness of each magnetic metal plate of the pole piece (¶[0032], lines 7-9) and a thickness of each magnetic metal plate of the ring yoke (¶[0056], lines 8-10) are the same.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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 SEAN M RINEHART whose telephone number is (571)272-2778. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM ET.
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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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/SEAN RINEHART/Examiner, Art Unit 2694
/FAN S TSANG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2694
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