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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 12/13/2024 and 10/17/2025 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
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.
Claims 1, 5, 7-10, 12, 15-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over EP 1459593 (“Larsen et al.”) in view of WO 2021/104006 (“Liu”).
Regarding claim 1, Larsen et al. discloses an electronic device (mobile phone) comprising:
a housing comprising a first surface, a second surface opposite to the first surface, and a third surface between the first surface and the second surface (fig. 4a, [0016] the housing 20, 30 of a mobile telephone);
a supporting structure spaced apart from the first surface (fig. 4a, [0016] opening or recess of the printed circuit board 50);
a speaker comprising a first surface at least partially contacted with a portion of the supporting structure and a second surface opposite to the first surface of the speaker (fig. 4a, [0016] electro acoustic transducer 4);
a support contacted with a portion of the second surface of the speaker (fig. 4a, use of a shield 11 fixed to the printed circuit board 50); and wherein the support comprises:
a first portion contacting the second surface of the speaker, the first portion being spaced apart from the sealing sheet (fig. 3b, Bent in the direction of the transducer base or angled in the embodiment shown a total of four housing tongues 15 - 18 act as spring elements which generate the transducer 4 in the PCB bore 55 fixing holding force), and
a second portion, the second portion being spaced apart from the second surface of the speaker (fig. 4a, bottom plate of electromagnetic shield 11), and
a second space is provided between the second surface of the speaker and the second portion of the support (fig. 3b, the symmetrically with respect to the particular circular central bore 14 arranged opening 13, 13 'are preferably U-shaped or V-shaped), and
a first space is connected to the second space wherein the first space is a resonant space for audio signals, and wherein the audio signals are transmitted from the first surface of the speaker toward a speaker hole of the third surface of the housing, via a through hole of the supporting structure arranged with respect to the first surface of the speaker (fig. 4a, hole in circuit board 50 which speaker 4 is mounted).
Larsen et al. does not specify “a sealing sheet interposed between the support and the second surface of the housing, wherein a first space is provided between the sealing sheet and the first portion of the support.”. In a similar field of endeavor Liu discloses speaker module 600 may further include a buffer 50. The buffer member 50 is fixed on the top surface 303 of the base plate 301 of the lower module housing 30, and the buffer member 50 is located inside the limiting protrusion 302 (in reference to Fig. 7).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement a sealing sheet as taught by Liu in Larsen et al. so that the electro-acoustic transducer is firmly connected to the upper housing of the module, and the risk of shaking of the electro-acoustic transducer is avoided, so that the speaker module.
Regarding claim 16, Larsen et al. discloses an electronic device (audio device) comprising:
a housing comprising a first surface, a second surface opposite to the first surface, and a third surface between the first surface and the second surface (fig. 4a, [0016] the housing 20, 30 of a mobile telephone);
a supporting structure spaced apart from the first surface (fig. 4a, [0016] opening or recess of the printed circuit board 50);
a speaker comprising a first surface at least partially contacting a portion of the supporting structure and a second surface opposite to the first surface of the speaker (fig. 4a, [0016] electro acoustic transducer 4);
a support contacting a portion of the second surface of the speaker (fig. 4a, use of a shield 11 fixed to the printed circuit board 50); and
a sealing sheet between the support and the second surface of the housing, wherein the support comprises:
a first portion contacting the second surface of the speaker, the first portion being spaced apart from the sealing sheet, and a second portion, the second portion being spaced apart from the second surface of the speaker (fig. 3b, Bent in the direction of the transducer base or angled in the embodiment shown a total of four housing tongues 15 - 18 act as spring elements which generate the transducer 4 in the PCB bore 55 fixing holding force), and
wherein a first space is provided between the first portion of the support, and a second space is provided between the second surface of the speaker and the second portion of the support, and wherein the first space is connected to the second space(Fig. 3A, the base of the transducer 4 which is supported on the underside 52 of the printed circuit board 50 may still be surrounded by a metal housing 11 which shields electromagnetic radiation).
Larsen et al. does not specify “a sealing sheet interposed between the support and the second surface of the housing, wherein a first space is provided between the sealing sheet and the first portion of the support.”. In a similar field of endeavor Liu discloses speaker module 600 may further include a buffer 50. The buffer member 50 is fixed on the top surface 303 of the base plate 301 of the lower module housing 30, and the buffer member 50 is located inside the limiting protrusion 302 (in reference to Fig. 7).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement a sealing sheet as taught by Liu in Larsen et al. so that the electro-acoustic transducer is firmly connected to the upper housing of the module, and the risk of shaking of the electro-acoustic transducer is avoided, so that the speaker module.
Regarding claim 5, Larsen et al. discloses the electronic device of claim 1, wherein the second space is surrounded by a mechanical structure of the housing and the supporting structure (Fig. 4A, the second space is substantially the entire volume between the circuit board 50 and the real housing 30).
Regarding claim 7, Larsen et al. discloses the electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a bracket in the housing, the bracket supporting at least one component of the electronic device, and wherein the supporting structure is on the bracket (Fig. 4A, circuit board 50 functions as a bracket).
Regarding claim 8, Larsen et al. discloses the electronic device of claim 1, wherein the support comprises a stepped portion connecting the first portion of the support and the second portion of the support, and wherein the first space is surrounded by the first portion of the support, the stepped portion and the sealing sheet (Fig. 3, bent in the direction of the transducer base or angled in the embodiment shown a total of four housing tongues 15 - 18 act as spring elements which generate the transducer 4 in the PCB bore 55 fixing holding force).
Regarding claim 9, Larsen et al. discloses the electronic device of claim 8, wherein the stepped portion comprises at least one hole connecting the first space and the second space (fig. 2, hole 55).
Regarding claim 10, Larsen et al. discloses the electronic device of claim 8, wherein the stepped portion extends from peripheries of the first portion and comprises an incline with respect to the first portion (Fig. 3, bent in the direction of the transducer base or angled in the embodiment shown a total of four housing tongues 15 - 18 act as spring elements which generate the transducer 4 in the PCB bore 55 fixing holding force).
Regarding claim 12, Larsen et al. discloses the electronic device of claim 1, wherein, when the support is viewed in a direction from the second surface toward the first surface, the second portion of the support surrounds peripheries of the first portion of the support (Fig. 3A, the base of the transducer 4 which is supported on the underside 52 of the printed circuit board 50 may still be surrounded by a metal housing 11 which shields electromagnetic radiation).
Regarding claim 15, Larsen et al. discloses the electronic device of claim 1, wherein the supporting structure comprises a seating portion on which the speaker is disposed, and wherein the through hole is disposed in the seating portion (Fig. 4A, due to the partial covering of the loudspeaker 4 by the screen 19, the sound outlet 22 of the loudspeaker 4 should not be arranged symmetrically but, as shown in FIG. 5, asymmetrically with respect to the symmetry axis S. The hatched, the speaker outlet forming circle segment 22 then radiates the sound waves generated in a sound channel with a 22 adapted to the outlet cross-section.).
Regarding claim 17, Larsen et al. discloses the electronic device of claim 16, wherein audio signals are resonated in the first space (fig. 4a, hole in circuit board 50 which speaker 4 is mounted).
Regarding claim 18, Larsen et al. discloses the electronic device of claim 16, wherein audio signals are resonated in the first space and the second space (fig. 4a, hole in circuit board 50 which speaker 4 is mounted).
Regarding claim 19, Larsen et al. discloses the electronic device of claim 16, wherein audio signals are transmitted from the first surface of the speaker toward a speaker hole of the third surface of the housing, via a through hole of the supporting structure arranged with respect to the first surface of the speaker (fig. 2, hole 55).
Regarding claim 20, Larsen et al. discloses the electronic device of claim 16, wherein audio signals are resonated in the first space and the second space, and wherein the audio signals are transmitted from the first surface of the speaker toward a speaker hole of the third surface of the housing, via a through hole of the supporting structure arranged with respect to the first surface of the speaker (fig. 4a, hole in circuit board 50 which speaker 4 is mounted, a ring-shaped or hollow-cylindrical structure also has the seal 7 arranged between the upper housing part 2 and the carrier element 5, which forms the sound channel 9 connecting the sound passage opening 8 and the transducer 4 or contains a tube with the desired cross-section acting as a sound channel 9. ).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-4, 6, 11, 13 and 14 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. As allowable subject matter has been indicated, applicant's reply must either comply with all formal requirements or specifically traverse each requirement not complied with. See 37 CFR 1.111(b) and MPEP § 707.07(a).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JIRAPON TULOP whose telephone number is (571)270-7491. The examiner can normally be reached Monday to Friday, 10:00AM-6:00PM.
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/JIRAPON TULOP/Examiner, Art Unit 2693
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