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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 10/22/2025 has been entered.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
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.
Regarding claim 1 and claim 14 recited “the first sound conduit is formed by a first portion of the housing and the partition wall and the second sound conduit is formed by a second portion of the housing and the partition wall; further than the first portion of the housing and the second portion of the housing in a direction in which audio signals are output to outside the housing (emphasis added).
In light of specification the underlined limitations of these claims are not defined. Therefore, deemed undefined.
Dependent claims 2-13 and 18-20 are also rejected.
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) 1-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim (US 20200186907). In view of Lee (US 20160142806) and Tanaka (US 20140233746).
Regarding claim 1 Kim teaches a wearable electronic device comprising (fig. 3A-3C):
a housing forming an exterior of the wearable electronic device (fig. 3A-3C, housing 310);
a speaker disposed to correspond to the first sound conduit in the internal space of the housing ([0085] According to an embodiment, the wearable device 300 may further include a speaker (e.g., 311 of FIG. 5)); and
a microphone disposed to correspond to the second sound conduit in the internal space of the housing ([0085] According to an embodiment, the wearable device 300 may further include … a microphone (e.g., 312 of FIG. 5)), wherein a portion of the partition wall (fig. 3A, 320) extends further than the end surface of the housing (fig. 3A).
Kim is silent on a nozzle part disposed at an end surface of the housing;
a partition wall at least partially in an internal space of the housing and spatially separating the internal space into a first sound conduit and a second sound conduit,
the partition wall being disposed between the first sound conduit and the second sound conduit such that the first sound conduit is formed by a first portion of the housing and the partition wall and the second sound conduit is formed by a second portion of the housing and the partition wall; further than the first portion of the housing and the second portion of the housing in a direction in which audio signals are output to outside the housing.
Lee teaches a nozzle part (fig.2, red box) disposed at an end surface of the housing (fig.2, 113);
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Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skilled in the art to combine Kim in light of Lee teaching so that it may include a nozzle part disposed at an end surface of the housing;
The motivation is to an earphone with a microphone and a speaker are arranged side by side with respect to the direction facing a user's earhole, that provide good productivity and enhance reliability of products by reducing a defect rate.
Further Tanaka teaches a partition wall at least partially in an internal space of the housing and spatially separating the internal space into a first sound conduit and a second sound conduit, the partition wall being disposed between the first sound conduit and the second sound conduit such that the first sound conduit is formed by a first portion of the housing and the partition wall and the second sound conduit is formed by a second portion of the housing and the partition wall; further than the first portion of the housing and the second portion of the housing in a direction in which audio signals are output to outside the housing (fig.3 below).
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Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skilled in the art to combine Kim in light of Tanaka teaching so that it may include the partition wall being disposed between the first sound conduit and the second sound conduit such that the first sound conduit is formed by a first portion of the housing and the partition wall and the second sound conduit is formed by a second portion of the housing and the partition wall; further than the first portion of the housing and the second portion of the housing in a direction in which audio signals are output to outside the housing.
The motivation is to provide an earphone microphone having an echo suppression function that is inexpensive and can be downsized.
Regarding claim 2 Kim teaches wherein the first sound conduit (fig.5, 311a) transmit the audio signals which is output from the speaker (fig.5, 311), to outside of the housing, through the nozzle part (fig. 4, 330), and the second sound conduit (fig. 5, second sound path 312a) transmit the audio signals which is input from the outside of the housing, through the nozzle part, to the microphone (fig. 5, 312).
Regarding claim 3 Kim teaches wherein the audio signal which is transmitted to outside of the housing by the first sound conduit (311a) is excluded from the second sound conduit (312a), by the partition wall (320).
Regarding claim 4 Kim teaches an audio signal-permeable member (fig.4, 332) on the nozzle part (330).
Regarding claim 5 Kim teaches wherein the audio signal-permeable member (fig.4, 332) extends across the nozzle part and the portion of the partition wall which extends further than the end surface of the housing (fig. 4).
Regarding claim 6 Kim teaches wherein the audio signal-permeable member has a curved shape (fig. 4, 332).
Regarding claim 7 Kim teaches wherein the audio signal-permeable member includes: a first grill (fig. 4-5, 323a) extending across the nozzle part at the first sound conduit, and a second grill extending across the nozzle part at the second sound conduit (fig. 4-5).
Regarding claim 8 Kim teaches wherein the audio signal-permeable member includes: a first grill (fig. 4-5, 323a) extending from an end of the partition wall (320) and across the nozzle part (330) at the first sound conduit (311a), and a second grill (324a) separated from the first grill, the second grill extending from the partition wall and across the nozzle part at the second sound conduit (312a).
Regarding claim 9 the limitations are significantly similar to the limitations of claim 8 so rejected same way.
Regarding claim 10 Kim teaches wherein the partition wall comprises: a surface (fig. 5, 322) which is coplanar with the end surface of the housing, and the portion of the partition wall extending from the surface and further than the end surface of the housing (fig. 5).
Regarding claim 11 Kim teaches wherein the end surface of the housing is disposed in a plane; the nozzle part (fig.4, 330) includes a first opening and a second opening; the first opening and the second opening being coplanar with the end surface of the housing; and the first opening is extended in a direction away from the plane to define a first extension opening (two openings 323a and 324a).
Regarding claim 12 Kim teaches wherein the second opening (324a) is extended in a direction away from the plane to define a second extension opening (fig.4-5).
Regarding claim 13 Kim teaches wherein the microphone includes an active noise canceling microphone which detects noise inside the wearable electronic device, and the speaker generates offset noise having an opposite phase to that of the noise detected by the microphone to cancel the noise within the wearable electronic device ([0144] Referring to FIGS. 16A and 16B, the recess 310c (Rx) signal may be amplified and collected to the microphone (e.g., 312 of FIG. 5) in the unique resonance band according to the measurements and shape of the microphone path (the second sound path). At this time, the amplified signal may be clipped while getting through other electronic components (e.g., an analog-to-digital converter (ADC)) inside the housing 310, causing non-linearity in the signal received by the microphone. Thus, pre-processing (e.g., smoothing filtering) may be performed on the reception signal output from the speaker (e.g., 311 of FIG. 5), thereby preventing amplification from occurring in the particular resonance band for the listener while allowing echo cancellation to be performed linearly. Thus, performance may be enhanced. For pre-processing, e.g., a multi-stage filter may be utilized as necessary which smoothes and reverses the magnitude response of the transfer function, band-stop filter, or notch.).
Claim(s) 14, 15, 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim (US 20200186907) in view of Lee (US 20160142806), Tanaka (US 20140233746) and Perkmann (US 20200084535).
Regarding claim 14 Kim teaches a wearable electronic device comprising (fig. 3A-3C):
a housing forming an exterior of the wearable electronic device (fig. 3A-3C, housing 310);
a speaker disposed to correspond to the first sound conduit in the internal space of the housing ([0085] According to an embodiment, the wearable device 300 may further include a speaker (e.g., 311 of FIG. 5)); and
a microphone disposed to correspond to the second sound conduit in the internal space of the housing ([0085] According to an embodiment, the wearable device 300 may further include … a microphone (e.g., 312 of FIG. 5)), wherein a portion of the partition wall (fig. 3A, 320) extends further than the end surface of the housing (fig. 3A).
Kim is silent on a nozzle part disposed at an end surface of the housing;
a partition wall at least partially in an internal space of the housing and spatially separating the internal space into a first sound conduit and a second sound conduit,
the partition wall being disposed between the first sound conduit and the second sound conduit such that the first sound conduit is formed by a first portion of the housing and the partition wall and the second sound conduit is formed by a second portion of the housing and the partition wall; further than the first portion of the housing and the second portion of the housing in a direction in which audio signals are output to outside the housing and
a protruding member connected to an end portion of the partition wall;
Wherein the protruding member is at least partially disposed between the first sound conduit and the second sound conduit. and a portion of the protruding member extends to outside the nozzle part.
Lee teaches a nozzle part (fig.2, red box) disposed at an end surface of the housing (fig.2, 113);
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Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skilled in the art to combine Kim in light of Lee teaching so that it may include a nozzle part disposed at an end surface of the housing;
The motivation is to an earphone with a microphone and a speaker are arranged side by side with respect to the direction facing a user's earhole, that provide good productivity and enhance reliability of products by reducing a defect rate.
Further Tanaka teaches a partition wall at least partially in an internal space of the housing and spatially separating the internal space into a first sound conduit and a second sound conduit, the partition wall being disposed between the first sound conduit and the second sound conduit such that the first sound conduit is formed by a first portion of the housing and the partition wall and the second sound conduit is formed by a second portion of the housing and the partition wall; further than the first portion of the housing and the second portion of the housing in a direction in which audio signals are output to outside the housing (fig.3 below).
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Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skilled in the art to combine Kim in light of Tanaka teaching so that it may include the partition wall being disposed between the first sound conduit and the second sound conduit such that the first sound conduit is formed by a first portion of the housing and the partition wall and the second sound conduit is formed by a second portion of the housing and the partition wall; further than the first portion of the housing and the second portion of the housing in a direction in which audio signals are output to outside the housing.
The motivation is to provide an earphone microphone having an echo suppression function that is inexpensive and can be downsized.
Perkmann teaches a protruding member (fig.1, blue arrow) connected to an end portion of the partition wall (fig.1, red wall);
Wherein the protruding member is at least partially disposed between the first sound conduit (fig.1, 7) and the second sound conduit (fig.1 10) and a portion of the protruding member extends to outside the nozzle part (fig.1, green box).
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Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skilled in the art to combine Kim in light of Perkmann teaching so that it may include a protruding member connected to an end portion of the partition wall;
Wherein the protruding member is at least partially disposed between the first sound conduit and the second sound conduit. and a portion of the protruding member extends to outside the nozzle part.
The motivation is to active noise-cancelling (ANC) earphones for which the ANC circuit remains stable even under varying wearing conditions.
Regarding claim 15 Kim teaches an audio signal-permeable member (fig.4, 332) on the nozzle part (330).
Claim 16-17 canceled.
Regarding claim 18 Kim teaches wherein the first sound conduit (fig.5, 311a) transmit the audio signals which is output from the speaker (fig.5, 311), to outside of the housing, through the nozzle part (fig. 4, 330), and the second sound conduit (fig. 5, second sound path 312a) transmit the audio signals which is input from the outside of the housing, through the nozzle part, to the microphone (fig. 5, 312).
Regarding claim 19 Kim teaches, wherein the audio signal which is transmitted to outside of the housing by the first sound conduit (311a) is excluded from the second sound conduit (312a), by the partition wall (320) and the protruding member (fig. 5, part of 332 that touches 320).
Regarding claim 20 Kim teaches wherein the microphone includes an active noise canceling microphone which detects noise inside the wearable electronic device, and the speaker generates offset noise having an opposite phase to that of the noise detected by the microphone to cancel the noise within the wearable electronic device ([0144] Referring to FIGS. 16A and 16B, the recess 310c (Rx) signal may be amplified and collected to the microphone (e.g., 312 of FIG. 5) in the unique resonance band according to the measurements and shape of the microphone path (the second sound path). At this time, the amplified signal may be clipped while getting through other electronic components (e.g., an analog-to-digital converter (ADC)) inside the housing 310, causing non-linearity in the signal received by the microphone. Thus, pre-processing (e.g., smoothing filtering) may be performed on the reception signal output from the speaker (e.g., 311 of FIG. 5), thereby preventing amplification from occurring in the particular resonance band for the listener while allowing echo cancellation to be performed linearly. Thus, performance may be enhanced. For pre-processing, e.g., a multi-stage filter may be utilized as necessary which smoothes and reverses the magnitude response of the transfer function, band-stop filter, or notch.).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any of the new reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
-HASEGAWA US 20220248126
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/TOWFIQ ELAHI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2625