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 § 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 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi et al., WO 2021/235677 (US Patent Publication 2023/0052402 used for translation).
Regarding independent claim 1, Choi et al. teaches an electronic device (100 in Figs. 1, 2; 300 in Fig. 7; 1010 in Fig. 10a) comprising:
a housing (110) including a front plate (110B; back cover 310 in Fig. 7), a back plate (110A; front cover 350 in Fig. 7) facing away from the front plate, and a side member (110C; side surface 3203 in Fig. 7) surrounding a space between the front plate and the back plate;
at least one microphone hole (103) penetrating the side member in a first direction from an outer surface of the side member toward an inner surface of the side member;
a microphone module comprising a microphone (ref. 500 in Fig.7) configured to receive an acoustic signal through the microphone hole;
a support member (comprising first frame 320 and sealing member 400 in Fig. 7) disposed between the microphone module and the front plate in the housing, the support member including a plurality of inner surfaces;
an acoustic passage (see arrows in Fig. 7) surrounded by the plurality of inner surfaces of the support member and facing toward the microphone module from the microphone hole; and
a branch passage formed in the support member and diverging from the acoustic passage (see embodiment shown in Fig. 10a: an acoustic passage comprising portions 471, 472 is formed, from the sound hole 321 to the microphone disposed in correspondence of the through-hole 3231; a branch passage 473 is formed, diverging from the acoustic passage and connected to another sensor disposed in correspondence of the through-hole 3232: Par. [0065]-[0066]),
wherein the acoustic passage includes:
a first section extending from the microphone hole in the first direction (321 in Fig. 7 and Fig. 10a); and
a second section fluidically connected with the first section and bent in a second direction toward the microphone module to face the microphone module (323 in Fig. 7, directed vertically to the microphone 500), and
wherein the branch passage is formed in a direction different from the second direction from at least one of the plurality of inner surfaces of the support (Fig. 10a: the branch passage 473 is not formed in a vertical direction).
Although Choi et al. teaches all aspects of the invention, various embodiments have been combined. It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to combine the embodiments to yield the specific breakout of the passage as described. The rationale to combine would be to “improve an assembly property because the guide path is implemented in the one frame (or the housing) and can help to secure the reliability of the acoustic module because a sound leakage phenomenon is reduced” as explained by Choi et al. in paragraph 0012.
Regarding claim 2, Choi et al. teaches the electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:
a printed circuit board (510) disposed between the back plate and the support,
wherein the microphone module (500) includes:
a microphone substrate disposed on the printed circuit board, the microphone substrate including an inner hole (521) fluidically connected with the second section in the second direction; and
a vibration plate (as depicted in Fig. 10a) disposed on the microphone substrate facing toward the back plate.
Regarding claim 3, Choi et al. teaches the electronic device of claim 2, wherein the branch passage diverges from the acoustic passage in a direction inclined with respect to at least one of the first direction or the second direction (see Fig. 7) at a position where the vibration plate and the acoustic passage overlap each other (see Fig. 10a: the portions 472 and 473 are parallel. It is noted that it is not unambiguously clear what it is exactly meant with the expression "a position where the vibration plate and the acoustic passage overlap each other" so where exactly the branch is formed, diverging from the sound passage, depends just on circumstances, and disposing more than one branch diverging from the sound passage, to serve other environmental sensors, is rendered obvious by the given teachings).
Regarding claim 4, Choi et al. teaches the electronic device of claim 2, wherein the branch passage includes:
a first branch passage diverging from the acoustic passage in the first direction at a position where the vibration plate and the acoustic passage overlap each other (see Fig. 10a: the portions 472 and 473 are parallel. It is noted that it is not unambiguously clear what it is exactly meant with the expression "a position where the vibration plate and the acoustic passage overlap each other" so where exactly the branch is formed, diverging from the sound passage, depends just on circumstances, and disposing more than one branch diverging from the sound passage, to serve other environmental sensors, is rendered obvious by the given teachings of Fig. 7); and
a second branch passage diverging from the acoustic passage in a direction opposite to the second direction at a position where the vibration plate and the acoustic passage overlap each other (see Fig. 10a: the portions 472 and 473 are parallel. It is noted that it is not unambiguously clear what it is exactly meant with the expression "a position where the vibration plate and the acoustic passage overlap each other" so where exactly the branch is formed, diverging from the sound passage, depends just on circumstances, and disposing more than one branch diverging from the sound passage, to serve other environmental sensors, is rendered obvious by the given teachings of Fig. 7).
Regarding claim 5, Choi et al. teaches the electronic device of claim 2, wherein the branch passage includes:
a first branch passage diverging from the acoustic passage in a first vertical direction perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction at a position where the vibration plate and the acoustic passage overlap each other (see Fig. 10a: the portions 472 and 473 are parallel. It is noted that it is not unambiguously clear what it is exactly meant with the expression "a position where the vibration plate and the acoustic passage overlap each other" so where exactly the branch is formed, diverging from the sound passage, depends just on circumstances, and disposing more than one branch diverging from the sound passage, to serve other environmental sensors, is rendered obvious by the given teachings); and
a second branch passage diverging from the acoustic passage in a second vertical direction opposite to the first vertical direction at a position where the vibration plate and the acoustic passage overlap each other (see Fig. 10a: the portions 472 and 473 are parallel. It is noted that it is not unambiguously clear what it is exactly meant with the expression "a position where the vibration plate and the acoustic passage overlap each other" so where exactly the branch is formed, diverging from the sound passage, depends just on circumstances, and disposing more than one branch diverging from the sound passage, to serve other environmental sensors, is rendered obvious by the given teachings).
Regarding claim 6, Choi et al. teaches the electronic device of claim 1, wherein the acoustic passage further includes a third section and a fourth section disposed between the first section and the second section (see arrows in Fig. 7 that depict four separate sections).
Regarding claim 7, Choi et al. teaches the electronic device of claim 6, wherein the third section is bent from the first section in a direction opposite to the second direction to face toward the fourth section (see arrows in Fig. 7 that depict four separate sections with the given bending), and
wherein the fourth section is bent from the third section in the first direction to face toward the second section (see arrows in Fig. 7 that depict four separate sections with the given bending).
Regarding claim 8, Choi et al. teaches the electronic device of claim 1, wherein at least one inner surface facing in a direction opposite to the first direction among the plurality of inner surfaces is recessed in the first direction to form the branch passage (as depicted in Fig. 7).
Regarding claim 9, Choi et al. teaches the electronic device of claim 1, wherein at least one inner surface facing in the second direction among the plurality of inner surfaces is recessed in a direction opposite to the second direction to form the branch passage (as depicted in Fig. 7).
Regarding claim 10, Choi et al. teaches the electronic device of claim 2, wherein the branch passage is disposed at a position where the vibration plate and the acoustic passage overlap each other (see Fig. 10a: the portions 472 and 473 are parallel).
Regarding claim 11, Choi et al. teaches the electronic device of claim 1, wherein the branch passage has a smaller volume than a volume of at least one of the first section or the second section (it is always possible to arbitrary identify a (partial) volume of the branch passage 473, such that it has a smaller volume than at least one of the first section or the second section).
Regarding claim 12, Choi et al. teaches the electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:
a space reduction member disposed in a portion of the acoustic passage,
wherein a portion of the branch passage is surrounded by at least a portion of a surface of the space reduction member (it is always possible to identify a portion of the sound passage, and to arbitrarily call it "space reduction member", such that a portion of the branch passage is surrounded by at least a portion of a surface of said "space reduction member" in the device depicted in Fig. 7).
Regarding claim 13, Choi et al. teaches the electronic device of claim 1, wherein the branch passage has a decreasing width farther away from the acoustic passage (the branch passage 473 is rounded at one extremity: see Fig. 10a).
Regarding claim 14, Choi et al. teaches the electronic device of claim 1, wherein a width of the branch passage is less than a length of the branch passage (a width of the branch passage 473 is less than a length of the branch passage).
Regarding claim 15, Choi et al. teaches the electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:
a waterproof structure disposed between the microphone module and the acoustic passage (Fig. 7: waterproof structure 520 disposed between the microphone module and the acoustic passage),
wherein the branch passage overlaps a portion of the waterproof structure (Fig. 10a: the branch passage 473 overlaps a portion of the waterproof structure).
Regarding independent claim 16, Choi et al. teaches an electronic device (100 in Figs. 1, 2; 300 in Fig. 7; 1010 in Fig. 10a) comprising:
a side member (110C; side surface 3203 in Fig. 7) including an outer surface facing the outside of the electronic device, an inner surface facing a first direction opposite to the outer surface, and at least one microphone hole (103) penetrating the outer surface and the inner surface in the first direction;
a microphone module (ref. 500 in Fig.7) disposed in an internal space surrounded by the side member and configured to receive an acoustic signal through the microphone hole; and
a support (comprising first frame 320 and sealing member 400 in Fig. 7) disposed in the internal space and including a first passage facing from the microphone hole toward the microphone module and a second passage diverging from the first passage,
wherein the first passage includes:
a first sub-passage extending from the microphone hole in the first direction (321 in Fig. 7 and Fig. 10a); and
a second sub-passage extending from the first sub-passage in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and facing toward the microphone module (323 in Fig. 7, directed vertically to the microphone 500), and
wherein the second passage extends in a direction different from the second direction from the first sub-passage (Fig. 10a: the branch passage 473 is not formed in a vertical direction).
Although Choi et al. teaches all aspects of the invention, various embodiments have been combined. It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to combine the embodiments to yield the specific breakout of the passage as described. The rationale to combine would be to “improve an assembly property because the guide path is implemented in the one frame (or the housing) and can help to secure the reliability of the acoustic module because a sound leakage phenomenon is reduced” as explained by Choi et al. in paragraph 0012.
Regarding claim 17, Choi et al. teaches the electronic device of claim 16, wherein the second passage extends from the first sub-passage in the first direction (as depicted in Fig. 7).
Regarding claim 18, Choi et al. teaches the electronic device of claim 16, wherein the second passage diverges from the first sub-passage in a direction inclined with respect to at least one of the first direction or the second direction (as depicted in Fig. 7).
Regarding claim 19, Choi et al. teaches the electronic device of claim 16, wherein a depth of the second passage is smaller than a depth of at least one of the first sub-passage and the second sub-passage (based on arbitrary divisions of the passage depicted in Fig. 7 as different sub-passages such that a portion of the passage is of the desired specifications).
Regarding claim 20, Choi et al. teaches the electronic device of claim 16, wherein the first passage is formed in a hole shape and the second passage is formed in a groove shape (as depicted in Fig. 7).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The closest prior art is made of record in the attached notice of references cited.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PARUL H GUPTA whose telephone number is (571)272-5260. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday, from 10 AM to 7 PM.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ke Xiao can be reached at 571-272-7776. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/PARUL H GUPTA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2627
Prosecution Insights