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 1-2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Abele et al. (US 2019/0041666) in view of Wang et al. (US 2021/0116724).
Regarding claim 1, Abele discloses, glasses including:
a frame (102) made with a predetermined profile (Para. 0021);
two temples (124a, b) connected to two ends of the frame (Para. 0022), wherein each of the temples includes a hard shell (104, 106) at an end;
wherein the hard shell is pivotally (130) connected to the frame at an end and includes a chamber (Para. 0048; note, discloses a cavity) in communication with exterior of the hard shell (see Fig. 2A);
two bone-conduction oscillators () inserted in the recesses (see Fig. 2A), wherein each of the bone-conduction oscillators includes at least one wire (Para. 0032, 0037-0038 and see 204; note, discloses traces and wires) extending to the chamber through the channel (see Fig. 2A); and
two flexible metal wires (Para. 0032, 0037-0038 and see 204; note, discloses traces and wires) extending along the channels, wherein each of the flexible metal wires includes an end connected to a corresponding one of the bone-conduction oscillators (see Fig. 2A) and another end connected to a corresponding one of the hard shells (see Fig. 2A), wherein the flexible metal wires are bendable and keepable in bent positions (Para. 0032 and 0037-0038).
Abele does not disclose the temples include a soft shell at another end, wherein the soft shell is flexible and connected in series to the hard shell and includes a recess and a channel for connecting the recess to the chamber.
Wang teaches, from the same field of endeavor that in glasses (Figs. 1-9) that it would have been desirable to make the temples (Para. 0042-0043 and 12) include a soft shell (70) at another end, wherein the soft shell is flexible (71, 72) and connected in series (see Figs. 1-9) to the hard shell (121) and includes a recess and a channel for connecting the recess to the chamber (see Figs. 1-9).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to make the temples include a soft shell at another end, wherein the soft shell is flexible and connected in series to the hard shell and includes a recess and a channel for connecting the recess to the chamber as taught by the glasses of Wang in the glasses of Abele since Wang teaches it is known to include these features in glasses for the purpose of providing glasses with improved sound quality and reduced noise.
Regarding claim 2, Abele in view of Zheng discloses and teaches as set forth above, and Abele further discloses, each of the temples further includes a side cover (168) for attached to the hard shell to close the chamber (see Figs. 1A-B).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Chao et al. (US 2024/0085721), Zheng et al. (US 2023/0156400) and Khaderi et al. (US 2020/0081247) discloses glasses that include a frame, two temples and two bone-conduction oscillators.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DAWAYNE A PINKNEY whose telephone number is (571)270-1305. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-5.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Pinping Sun can be reached at 571-270-1284. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DAWAYNE PINKNEY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2872 07/07/2026
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