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 .
Allowable Subject Matter
1. Claims 2-12 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.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
2.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.
3.Claim(s) 1 and 13-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over GU et al. (CN 202713598) in view of MACHIDA et al. (US 20250016497)
Regarding claim 1, Gu discloses a vehicle loudspeaker comprising: a frame (Paragraph: 0007: a frame); a diaphragm having an outer edge connected to the frame (Paragraphs: 0007 and 0019: Gu discusses a loudspeaker comprising a diaphragm and a frame; and the diaphragm is fixed to the frame by the surround); a voice coil, an upper end portion of the voice coil being connected to a middle portion of the diaphragm (Paragraph: 0019: Gu discusses how the upper end of the voice coil passes through the frame and the diaphragm); and a magnetic drive unit having a magnetic gap, the magnetic drive unit being arranged on the frame, wherein a lower end portion of the voice coil is inserted into the magnetic gap (abstract lines 15-18, Paragraphs: 0007 and 0019: Gu discusses the magnetic gap of the magnetic circuit system, wherein the voice coil is disposed in the magnetic gap of the magnetic circuit system, and its upper end passes through the frame and the diaphragm), and wherein the diaphragm comprises two first connecting portions recessed downwards, and the two first connecting portions are connected to the two independent dampers respectively (Paragraphs: 0007, 0011-0012 and 0019: Gu discusses how the diaphragm has downward-facing recessed surfaces corresponding to the positions of the two spiders; and how the edge of the diaphragm is a semi-circular rectangular shape, i.e. a diaphragm provided with two downward recessed connecting portions, wherein each connecting portion being connected to a corresponding damper).
GU discusses the invention set forth above but does not specifically disclose “the vehicle loudspeaker further comprises two independent dampers spaced apart from each other, the two independent dampers are respectively located on two opposite sides of the voice coil, a part of an edge of each damper of the two independent dampers is connected to the frame”
MACHIDA discloses a system wherein the vehicle loudspeaker further comprises two independent dampers spaced apart from each other, the two independent dampers are respectively located on two opposite sides of the voice coil, a part of an edge of each damper of the two independent dampers is connected to the frame (Paragraphs: 0037, 0040, 0044 and fig.2, 11, 22a, 22b, 23: MACHIDA discusses how a speaker mounted on a vehicle and how two dampers 22a and 22b as support members, and a spacer for maintaining a distance between the two dampers 22a and 22b; wherein the first damper portion has the inner peripheral edge connected to the outer peripheral surface of the first voice coil and an outer peripheral edge connected to the frame).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the invention of GU, and modify a system wherein the vehicle loudspeaker further comprises two independent dampers spaced apart from each other, the two independent dampers are respectively located on two opposite sides of the voice coil, a part of an edge of each damper of the two independent dampers is connected to the frame, as taught by MACHIDA, thus providing a speaker device that has an assembling property at the time of manufacturing and that is capable of improving vibration-damping characteristics while maintaining the quality of audio reproduction, as discussed by MACHIDA.
Considering claim 13, MACHIDA discloses a vehicle sound system comprising a headrest loudspeaker, wherein the headrest loudspeaker comprises the vehicle loudspeaker of claim 1 (Paragraphs: 0006 and 0037: the speaker device to be mounted on a vehicle).
Considering claim 14, MACHIDA discloses a vehicle sound system comprising a roof loudspeaker, wherein the roof loudspeaker comprises the vehicle loudspeaker of claim 1 (Paragraphs: 0006, 0037 and 0059).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to YOSEF K LAEKEMARIAM whose telephone number is (571)270-5149. The examiner can normally be reached 9:30-6:30 M-F.
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YOSEF K. LAEKEMARIAM
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2651
/YOSEF K LAEKEMARIAM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2691
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