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
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements filed 10/7/25 and 1/9/25 have been considered.
Drawings
The drawings filed 12/9/24 are acceptable to the examiner.
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.
Claims 1, 10 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1, line 16; claim 10, line 15 and claim 16, line 15 set forth the language “having an end to be grounded”. This language is deemed indefinite since it is not clear if an actual grounding is made, might be made, could be made if desired; and if such is made, the structure that is used to allow grounding to be made in the claims. Clarification is required.
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 –
Claim(s) 1-5, 9, 10 and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Nikles et al. (US 2017/0245066 A1).
Re claim 1: Nikles et al. teaches an electronic device (figure 6) having a module (1) as seen in figure 1) comprising a speaker (3) and an antenna (20),
wherein the speaker comprises:
a speaker core (note that portion of speaker (3) surrounding other components of the speaker is considered to be the speaker core) configured to generate sound in a first direction (toward opening (30));
a speaker (4) configured to at least partially enclose an exterior of the speaker core and comprising a speaker hole (30) positioned to overlap the speaker core with respect to the first direction and open in the first direction (along channel (32) to allow sound to exit at an end opening); and
a noise reduction member (24) comprising a conductive material (ferromagnetic material, paragraph [0033]) positioned on an outer surface of the speaker housing (see figure 1), and
wherein the noise reduction member comprises:
a shielding member (26) having an opening formed by opening a region that at least partially overlaps the speaker core (figure 1), the shielding member being disposed on a portion of the outer surface of the speaker housing which is perpendicular to the first direction (figure 1), and the shielding member comprising the conductive material (ferromagnetic material, paragraph [0033]) configured to surround an outer perimeter of the speaker hole on the outer surface of the speaker housing (figure 1); and a
conductive extension part ((33) formed of metal) formed by extension of the conductive material from the shielding member and having an end (bottom side) to be grounded (at least grounded to case (4)) as broadly as worded.
Re claim 10: Nikles et al. teaches a speaker (1) for an electronic device (figure 6) comprising an antenna (20), the speaker comprising:
a speaker core (note that portion of speaker (3) surrounding other components of the speaker is considered to be the speaker core) configured to generate sound in a first direction (toward opening (30));
a speaker (4) configured to at least partially enclose an exterior of the speaker core and comprising a speaker hole (30) positioned to overlap the speaker core with respect to the first direction and open in the first direction (along channel (32) to allow sound to exit at an end opening); and
a noise reduction member (24) comprising a conductive material (ferromagnetic material, paragraph [0033]) positioned on an outer surface of the speaker housing (see figure 1), and
wherein the noise reduction member comprises:
a shielding member (26) having an opening formed by opening a region that at least partially overlaps the speaker core (figure 1), the shielding member being disposed on a portion of the outer surface of the speaker housing which is perpendicular to the first direction (figure 1), and the shielding member comprising the conductive material (ferromagnetic material, paragraph [0033]) configured to surround an outer perimeter of the speaker hole on the outer surface of the speaker housing (figure 1); and a
conductive extension part ((33) formed of metal) formed by extension of the conductive material from the shielding member and having an end (bottom side) to be grounded (at least grounded to case (4)) as broadly as worded.
Re claim 2: See orientation of element (33) figure 1
Re claim 3: note element (24), figure 1 having a bottom portion that surrounds at least the portion of the outer surface of the speaker housing facing the second direction.
Re claim 4: note antenna (20) has a bottom portion, figure 1 overlaps at least a portion of speaker core with respect to the first direction
Re claim 5: antenna (20), figure 1 has a bottom portion that overlaps the speaker housing (4) facing in a direction opposite the first direction.
Re claims 9 and 15: note element (24) is made of a metal material (ferromagnetic material, paragraph [0033]) and is directly connected to speaker housing (4) through element (33), thereby forming at least part of the speaker housing to allow sound to be outputted through channel (32)
Re claim 11: See orientation of element (33) figure 1. Also, note element (24), figure 1 having a bottom portion that surrounds at least the portion of the outer surface of the speaker housing facing the second direction.
Re claim 12: see figure 1 in which when viewing from outside the speaker from the top of the module (1), the speaker (3) overlaps the antenna (20)
Re claim 13: as seen from figure 1 a portion of the speaker housing (that portion immediately below antenna (20) faces each other including in a direction opposite a first direction.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 6-7, 16-18 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nikles et al. in view of Wong (US 2019/0372209 A1).
Re claim 6: The teaching of Nikles et al. is discussed above and incorporated herein. Nikles et al. does not teach that the antenna used in the electronic device (hearing aid) comprises a flexible printed circuit board with antenna pattern printed thereon. Wong teaches in a similar environment of hearing aids such an antenna as claimed (See for example claim 16) wherein the metal traces correspond to the antenna pattern set forth that allows such antenna to conform to the shape of the hearing aid. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the at before the filing of the invention to incorporate the antenna structure of Wong into the hearing device of Nikles et al. to predictably allow for the antenna to conform to the shape of the hearing aid. Therefor the claimed subject matter would have been obvious before the filing of the invention. Re claim 7: When replacing the antenna arrangement at the location as taught in Nikles et al. with the specific structure as taught by Wong, this structure would overlap at least a portion of the speaker core in Nikles et al. as set forth.
Re claim 16: Nikles et al. teaches an electronic device including a speaker (1), an antenna (20) where the speaker comprises a speaker core (note that portion of speaker (3) surrounding other components of the speaker is considered to be the speaker core) configured to generate sound in a first direction (toward opening (30));
a speaker (4) configured to at least partially enclose an exterior of the speaker core and comprising a speaker hole (30) positioned to overlap the speaker core with respect to the first direction and open in the first direction (along channel (32) to allow sound to exit at an end opening); and
a noise reduction member (24) comprising a conductive material (ferromagnetic material, paragraph [0033]) positioned on an outer surface of the speaker housing (see figure 1), and
wherein the noise reduction member comprises:
a shielding member (26) having an opening formed by opening a region that at least partially overlaps the speaker core (figure 1), the shielding member being disposed on a portion of the outer surface of the speaker housing which is perpendicular to the first direction (figure 1), and the shielding member comprising the conductive material (ferromagnetic material, paragraph [0033]) configured to surround an outer perimeter of the speaker hole on the outer surface of the speaker housing (figure 1); and a
conductive extension part ((33) formed of metal) formed by extension of the conductive material from the shielding member and having an end (bottom side) grounding the antenna to (at least grounded to case (4)) through members (24, 33). Nikles et al. does not teach that the antenna used in the electronic device (hearing aid) comprises a substrate, such as a flexible printed circuit board with antenna pattern printed thereon. Wong teaches in a similar environment of hearing aids such an antenna as claimed (See for example claim 16) wherein the metal traces correspond to the antenna pattern set forth that allows such antenna to conform to the shape of the hearing aid. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the at before the filing of the invention to incorporate the antenna structure of Wong into the hearing device of Nikles et al. to predictably allow for the antenna to conform to the shape of the hearing aid. Therefor the claimed subject matter would have been obvious before the filing of the invention.
Re claim 17: See orientation of element (33) figure 1 in Nikles et al.
Re claim 18: see figure 1 of Nikles et al. in which when viewing from outside the speaker from the top of the module (1), the speaker (3) overlaps the antenna (20)
and wherein a portion of the speaker housing (that portion immediately below antenna (20) faces each other including in a direction opposite a first direction.
Re claim 20: note element (24) of Nikles et al. is made of a metal material (ferromagnetic material, paragraph [0033]) and is directly connected to speaker housing (4) through element (33), thereby forming at least part of the speaker housing to allow sound to be outputted through channel (32)
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8, 14 and 19 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The claimed electronic device including in combination those features of claim 6/4/1 wherein the antenna substrate comprises a ground terminal that is grounded and in contact with the end of the conductive extension part, and wherein the electronic device further comprises a conductive tape configured to bond the ground terminal and the end of the conductive extension part as set forth in claim 8 is neither taught by nor an obvious variation of the art of record. Similar the claimed speaker including in combination those features of claim 13/12/10 wherein the antenna is a printed-type antenna comprising: an antenna substrate comprising a printed circuit board or a flexible printed circuit board; an antenna pattern printed on the antenna substrate; and a ground terminal exposed on a surface of the antenna substrate in the first direction, wherein the end of the conductive extension part is electrically connected to the ground terminal by extending on the portion of the outer surface of the speaker housing facing in the direction opposite the first direction, and wherein the speaker further comprises a conductive tape positioned on a surface of the end of the conductive extension part to bond the end and the ground terminal as set forth in claim 14 is neither taught by nor an obvious variation of the art of record. The claimed electronic device including in combination those features of claim 16 wherein the antenna comprises a ground terminal exposed on a surface of the antenna substrate in the first direction, and the end of the conductive extension part is electrically connected to the ground terminal as set forth in claim 19 is neither taught by nor an obvious variation of the art of record.
Conclusion
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.
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, 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.
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.
/ANDREW SNIEZEK/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2693
/A.S./Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2693 7/28/26
Prosecution Insights