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 .
EXAMINER’S COMMENTS
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Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Claim(s) 1-2, 4, 6, 13-15, 17 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipate by Gong CN 118200807 (For examination purports English Machine Translation of Gong would be use as cited reference).
Regarding claim 1, Gong teaches
A micro speaker structure (Figs. 1, 7 and 23 show a micro-speaker structure 10), comprising:
a substrate (Figs. 1 and 7 show a substrate 100) having a hollow chamber (Fig. 7 shows a hollow chamber S) as shown in Fig. 7;
a diaphragm (Fig. 7 shows a diaphragm 110) disposed over the substrate (i.e. substrate 100) and covering the hollow chamber (i.e. hollow chamber S) as shown in Fig. 7;
a coil 104 (Figs. 1 and 7 show a multi-layer coil 120) embedded in the diaphragm (i.e. diaphragm 110) as shown in Fig. 7;
a circuit board (Fig. 7 shows a printed circuit board (PCB) 150) disposed on a bottom surface of the substrate (i.e. substrate 100) as shown in Fig. 7;
a first permanent magnetic element (Fig. 8 shows a first magnet (i.e. a permanent magnet) 161….Pg. 8, Lines 28-33) disposed on the circuit board (i.e. printed circuit board (PCB) 150) and in the hollow chamber (i.e. hollow chamber S) as shown in Fig. 7; and
a magnetic conductive element (Fig. 8 shows a second magnet (i.e. a neodymium iron boron magnet) 162….Pg. 8, Lines 28-33) disposed on the circuit board (i.e. printed circuit board (PCB) 150) and surrounding the first permanent magnetic element (i.e. first magnet (i.e. a permanent magnet) 161) as shown in Fig. 8 and Pg. 8, Lines 34-36, wherein the magnetic conductive element (i.e. second magnet (i.e. a neodymium iron boron magnet) 162) is a metal ring with magnetic permeability (a second magnet (i.e. a neodymium iron boron magnet) 162 having a (circular) annular….Pg. 8, Lines 28-36) as shown in Fig. 8.
Regarding claim 2, Gong teaches
The micro speaker structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein a thickness of the magnetic conductive element (i.e. second magnet (i.e. a neodymium iron boron magnet) 162) is equal to a thickness of the first permanent magnetic element (i.e. first magnet (i.e. a permanent magnet) 161) as shown in Fig. 9.
Regarding claim 4, Gong teaches
The micro speaker structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the inner diameter of the magnetic conductive element (i.e. second magnet (i.e. a neodymium iron boron magnet) 162) is equal to the diameter of the first permanent magnetic element (i.e. first magnet (i.e. a permanent magnet) 161) as shown in Fig. 9, and the magnetic conductive element (i.e. second magnet (i.e. a neodymium iron boron magnet) 162) is in contact with the first permanent magnetic element (i.e. first magnet (i.e. a permanent magnet) 161) as shown in Fig. 9.
Regarding claim 6, Gong teaches
The micro speaker structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein a top surface of the magnetic conductive element (i.e. second magnet (i.e. a neodymium iron boron magnet) 162) and a top surface of the first permanent magnetic element (i.e. first magnet (i.e. a permanent magnet) 161) are at the same level as shown in Fig. 8.
Regarding claim 13, Gong teaches
The micro speaker structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the circuit board (i.e. printed circuit board (PCB) 150) has at least one vent hole 161 (Fig. 7 shows one or more air holes 151) passing through the top surface and a bottom surface of the circuit board (i.e. printed circuit board (PCB) 150) as shown in Fig. 7.
Regarding claim 14, Gong teaches
The micro speaker structure as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: a lid (Fig. 23 shows a package cover 170) wrapped around the substrate (i.e. substrate 100) and the diaphragm (i.e. diaphragm 110) as shown in Fig. 23, wherein the lid (i.e. package cover 170) has an air opening that exposes a portion of a top surface of the diaphragm (i.e. diaphragm 110) as shown in Fig. 23.
Regarding claim 15, Gong teaches
The micro speaker structure as claimed in claim 14, further comprising: a second permanent magnetic element (Fig. 23 shows a permanent magnet 180) disposed on the lid (i.e. package cover 170) as shown in Fig. 23, wherein the second permanent magnetic element (i.e. permanent magnet 180) is located below the air opening as shown in Fig. 23.
Regarding claim 16, Gong teaches
The micro speaker structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the coil (i.e. multi-layer coil 120) comprises a first metal layer (Fig. 1 shows a first layer 121) and a second metal layer (Fig. 1 shows a second layer 122) as shown in Fig. 1, and wherein the first metal layer (i.e. first layer 121) has a spiral structure (Fig. 1 shows a spiral structure 121A) surrounding a central axis of the diaphragm (i.e. diaphragm 110) as shown in Fig. 1, and the second metal layer (i.e. second layer 122) crosses over the spiral structure (i.e. spiral structure 121A) of the first metal layer (i.e. first layer 121) and is electrically connected to the first metal layer (i.e. first layer 121)….Pg. 6, Lines 7-9.
Regarding claim 17, this claim is rejected for the same reason as the apparatus of claim 1 because the method steps of claim 17 can be perform by the apparatus of claim 1.
Regarding claim 20, this claim is rejected for the same reason as the apparatus of claim 6 because the method steps of claim 20 can be perform by the apparatus of claim 6.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
6. 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 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.
7. 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 of this title, 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.
8. Claims 3 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gong.
Regarding claim 3, Gong teaches all the features with respect to claim 1 as outlined above.
Gong does not explicitly teach an inner diameter of the magnetic conductive element is larger than a diameter of the first permanent magnetic element.
Gong teaches in alternative embodiment that an inner diameter of the second magnet 162 is larger than a diameter of first magnet 161 as shown in Fig. 13 and Pg. 9, Lines 33-38.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was effectively filed to modify the Gong’s micro speaker structure to include the inner diameter of the magnetic conductive element is larger than a diameter of the first permanent magnetic element, as taught by the alternative embodiment of Gong. The advantage of such modification will allow the micro speaker structure enhance the force generated along the normal direction of the diaphragm.
Regarding claim 19, Gong teaches all the features with respect to claim 17 as outlined above.
Gong does not explicitly teach that the magnetic conductive element is placed on the circuit board so that the magnetic conductive element is laterally spaced apart from the permanent magnetic element.
Gong teaches in alternative embodiment that the second magnet 162 is placed on the circuit board (i.e. printed circuit board (PCB) 150) so that the second magnet 162 is laterally spaced apart from the first magnet 161 as shown in Fig. 13.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was effectively filed to modify the Gong’s micro speaker structure to include the magnetic conductive element is placed on the circuit board so that the magnetic conductive element is laterally spaced apart from the permanent magnetic element, as taught by the alternative embodiment of Gong. The advantage of such modification will allow the micro speaker structure enhance the force generated along the normal direction of the diaphragm.
Allowable Subject Matter
9. Regarding claims 5, 7-12 and 18 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.
Conclusion
10. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Fu et al., US-PG-PUB No. 2022/0340409, Electromagnetic Microspeaker, Its coil Module, Speaker/Coil Module Array Preparation Method Thereof, Fig. 1 shows a coil module, comprising: a vibrating membrane suspended on an air chamber defined and supported by a first substrate, at least one planar coil, embedded in the vibrating membrane, and at least a soft magnet, embedded in the vibrating membrane.
11. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANGELICA M MCKINNEY whose telephone number is (571)270-3321. The examiner can normally be reached 7AM-3PM EST M-F. 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.
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/ANGELICA M MCKINNEY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2694
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