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 application10-2023-0119923 filed in Korea on 9/8/23. It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the Korean application as required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers for foreign priority based an application 10-2024-0101846 filed in Korea on 7/31/24 required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
Drawings
The drawings filed 8/30/24 are acceptable to the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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.
Claim(s) 1-10, 12-16, 18, 20- 22, 24 and 25 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Han et al. (US 2022/0182744 A1).
Re claim 1: Han et al. teaches an apparatus, comprising:
a vibration member (100);
a vibration apparatus (200) connected to a rear surface of the vibration member; and
a rear cover (300) covering a rear surface of the vibration apparatus,
wherein the rear cover comprises a hole part (See for example figures 23A-23D) including a plurality of holes (301) overlapping the vibration apparatus (see for example figures 2A along with figures 23B-23E and paragraph [0470] “overlap the vibration apparatus”), and
wherein a size of the hole part is greater than a size of the vibration apparatus (See discussion in paragraph [0467], “holes 301 may be disposed at an external or outer region where a vibration apparatus is disposed”. This external region satisfies as set forth allows for the hole part to have a size that is greater than a size of the vibration apparats as set forth.
Re claim 2: see teaching in paragraphs [0012, 0104] in which sound is output in a forward direction and discussion in paragraph [0503} in which the holes allow for an enhance sound characteristic especially in a low-pitched sound band
Re claim 3: note teaching of a gap space (GS), for example figure 2A located between the vibration member (200) and the rear cover (300) and being as set forth connected to a rear space of the rear cover through the hole part.
Re claim 4: note element (400) is a connection member that provides a gap space (GS)
Re claim 5: note member (400) includes at least one protrusion part (410) that extend from a lateral surface of the connection member
Re claim 6: not figure 2B teaching that the rear cover (300) can be comprised of a first rear cover (310) covering a rear surface of the vibration apparatus and a second rear cover (330) covering a rear surface of the first rear cover with a hole part (that portion of (300) that has holes (301) configured at the rear covers
Re claim 7: note in figure 2B the hole parts of rear covers (310) and (330) have holes (301) that overlap one another
Re claim 8: see discussion of figures 23A-23D in paragraph [0471-0472] in which some of the holes overlap the vibration member while other holes overlap the vibration apparatus at the periphery
Re claim 9: note teaching of a gap space (GS), for example figure 2B located between the vibration member (200) and the rear cover (300) and being as set forth connected to a rear space of the rear cover through the first and second hole parts.
Re claim 10: See connecting frame (350), figure 2B providing an air gap between the first hole part and the second hole part in region of holes (301) due to the thickness of element (350)
Re claim 12: See teaching of a pad member, paragraph [0421] located between the vibration apparatus and rear cover.
Re claim 13: note teaching in paragraphs [0428 and 0431] that the pad member can overlap holes (301)
Re claim 14: see teaching the pad member can be comprised of a first pad member (701) and a second pad member (702) in respective first and second areas (figure 18) as set forth
Re claim 15: see figure 18 teaching pad member(s) 701, 702 that are smaller in size than the area of the vibration apparatus and disposed at a center portion of the vibrating apparatus
Re claim 16: note that the materials used to form the pad member and the vibration apparatus in the present application and in Han et al. are of the same materials (such as paraffin wax and a piezoelectric material respectively; with these materials providing stiffnesses similar to each other, i.e. the pad member having a stiffness less than the stiffness of the vibration apparatus as set forth.
Re claim 18: see paragraph [0079] teaching the use of a piezoelectric ceramic material and paragraph [0185] teach the use of a signal cable (219) as set forth
Re claim 20: see paragraph [0079] teaching the use of a piezoelectric ceramic material for a vibration part along with figure 2A teaching a cover member (300) that covers the vibration part
Re claim 21: see arrangement depicted in figures 6 and 7 teaching a signal cable (219) positioned as set forth
Re claim 22: see first adhesive layer (350), paragraph [0136] disposed between the cover member and the vibration part and a second adhesive layer ((150), paragraph [0115] connecting the vibration apparatus to the rear surface of the vibration member as set forth
Re claim 24: see figures 3-4 along with paragraph [0173] teaching a plurality of vibration generators (210A-210D) with an elastic member (214) disposed between these generators
Re claim 25: see materials used for the vibration member, paragraphs [0108-0109] satisfying those as set forth
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 11, 17, 19 and 23 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.
Although Han et al. teaches the use of a circuit board, this reference does not teach or obviously suggest an arrangement as provided in the combination of features of claim 10/7/6/1 that additionally comprising a sound circuit board disposed at a rear surface of the second rear cover and electrically connected to the vibration apparatus through a signal line or a signal cable, wherein the second rear cover comprises: a flat portion disposed parallel to the first rear cover; and a stiff portion protruding from the flat portion, and wherein the sound circuit board is disposed at the stiff portion spaced apart from the first rear cover with the air gap therebetween as set forth in claim 11.
The claimed apparatus including those features of claim 1 which additionally, further comprising a plate disposed at a rear surface of the vibration member adjacent to one side of the vibration apparatus, wherein the rear cover further comprises a cable hole configured to be adjacent to the hole part, and wherein the plate overlaps the cable hole and is spaced apart from the cable hole as set forth in claim 17 is neither taught by nor an obvious variation of the art of record. The claimed apparatus including those features of claim 18/1 which additionally, further comprising a plate disposed at the rear surface of the vibration member to overlap the signal cable, wherein the rear cover further comprises a cable hole through which the signal cable passes, and wherein the plate overlaps the cable hole and is spaced apart from the cable hole as set forth in claim 19 is neither taught by nor an obvious variation of the art of record. The claimed apparatus including those features of claim 20/18/1 which additionally, further comprises in combination a connection member disposed between the vibration member and the vibration apparatus, wherein the cover member comprises: a first cover member disposed at a first surface of the vibration member; a first adhesive layer disposed between the first surface of the vibration part and the first cover member; a second cover member disposed at a second surface of the vibration part opposite to the first surface of the vibration part; and a second adhesive layer disposed between the second surface of the vibration part and the second cover member, and wherein the connection member is configured to be connected to the first cover member or the second cover member as set forth in claim 23 is neither taught by nor an obvious variation of the art of record.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Le et al. (2025/0220336A1), Ha et al. (US 12,464,288 B2) and Lee (US 12,549,892 B2), each having the same assignee as the present application teach similar related features of display panel used with a vibration element(s).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANDREW SNIEZEK whose telephone number is (571)272-7563. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7:00 AM-3:30 PM EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ahmad Matar can be reached at 571-272-7488. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ANDREW SNIEZEK/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2693
/A.S./Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2693 2/24/26