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 § 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 –
(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.
Claim(s) 1-3, and 6-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Cai et al. (CN 219068353) herein Cai.
Regarding claim 1, Cai discloses a speaker (speaker 100 of Figs. 1-8, [0075]-[0105]), comprising: a frame (frame 1, Figs. 1-8); a vibration system mounted with the frame (vibration system 3 mounted with the frame 1, Figs. 1-3), the vibration system comprising: a diaphragm fixed on the frame (diaphragm 31 fixed on frame 1, Figs. 1-3), the diaphragm comprising at least one conductive portion (diaphragm 31 comprises at least one conduction portion 311, Figs. 1-3); a voice coil driving the diaphragm to generate sounds, the voice coil electrically connected to the conductive portion (voice coil 32 drives diaphragm 31 and is electrically connected to the conductive portion 311, Figs. 1-3); a magnetic circuit system mounted with the frame (magnetic circuit system 2 mounted in frame 1, Figs. 1-3); and at least one conductive structure fixed to the frame and connecting the conductive portion with an external circuit (conductive structure 11 fixed to frame 1 and connects the conductive portion 311 with an external circuit, Figs. 1-3, 6), the conductive structure comprising a main body portion fixedly connected to the frame and a connecting portion bending and extending from the main body portion in a direction close to the diaphragm, the connecting portion electrically connected to the conductive portion of the diaphragm (conductive structure 11 comprises a main body fixedly connected to frame 1 and a connecting portion bending and extending from the main body portion in a direction close to the diaphragm, the connecting portion electrically connected to the conductive portion of the diaphragm 31, Figs. 1-3, 6).
Regarding claim 2, Cai discloses wherein the conductive portion is arranged on one side of the diaphragm or at least partially embedded in the diaphragm (conductive portion 11 is arranged on one side of the diaphragm 31, Figs. 3, 6).
Regarding claim 3, Cai discloses wherein a number of the conductive portions is two, and two adjacent corner areas of the diaphragm are each provided with one conductive portion, the number of the conductive structures being also two, and each conductive structure arranged corresponding to a position of the conductive portion (two conductive portions 311 on two adjacent corner areas of diaphragm 31 corresponding to two conductive structures 11, Figs. 5, 6).
Regarding claim 6, Cai discloses wherein the diaphragm comprises a dome portion and a suspension portion arranged around the dome portion, the voice coil fixed to the dome portion (diaphragm 31 has a central portion which connects to 34 which can be considered a dome portion with voice coil 32 fixed to diaphragm 31 at the central portion and wherein diaphragm 31 has a suspension portion 313 arranged around the dome portion, Figs. 1-7), the suspension portion comprising a bending portion, an outer fixing portion bending and extending from an outer periphery of the bending portion, and an inner fixing portion bending from an inner periphery of the bending portion, the outer fixing portion fixedly connected to the frame, and the inner fixing portion fixedly connected to the dome portion (suspension portion 313 has a bending portion, an outer fixing portion 314 bending and extending from an outer periphery of the bending portion 313 and an inner fixing portion 312 bending from an inner periphery of the bending portion 313, the outer fixing portion fixed 314 fixed to the frame 1, and the inner fixing portion fixedly connected to the dome portion 34, Figs. 1-7).
Regarding claim 7, Cai discloses wherein the conductive portion comprises a first conductive portion arranged on the inner fixing portion or the dome portion (conductive portion 311 has a first conductive portion 3113 arrange on the inner fixing portion of the dome portion, Fig. 5), and a second conductive portion arranged on the outer fixing portion, the first conductive portion electrically connected to the voice coil, and the second conductive portion electrically connected to the connecting portion (second conductive portion 3115 arranged on the outer fixing portion with the first conductive portion electrically connected to the voice coil 32 and second conductive portion electrically connected to the connection portion of the conducting structure 11, Figs. 5-7).
Regarding claim 8, Cai discloses wherein the first conductive portion is fixedly connected to a leading wire of the voice coil through a conductive adhesive, and the second conductive portion is fixedly connected to the connecting portion through the conductive adhesive, the voice coil, the diaphragm, and the conductive structure achieving circuit conduction with the external circuit (first conductive portion is fixedly connected to a leading wire of the voice coil through a conductive adhesive 3116, with second conductive portion also connected to the connecting portion via the conductive adhesive, Figs. 5-8, [Abstract], [0090]-[0092]).
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.
Claim(s) 4 and 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cai et al. (CN 219068353) herein Cai.
Regarding claims 4 and 5, while Cai does not specifically teach wherein the conductive structure is a conductive metal sheet or a flexible circuit board, or wherein the conductive structure comprises a substrate and a conductive material dispersed in the substrate, and the conductive material is at least one of graphene, carbon nanotubes, conductive nanofibers, silver powder, and liquid metal, it is well known in the art to select materials for a conductive structures to be made of a metal sheet, flexible circuit board, have a substrate with materials dispersed on the substrate from the group of graphene, carbon nanotubes, conductive nanofibers, silver powder and liquid metal.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the conductive structure of Cai to be made of a metal sheet, flexible circuit board, have a substrate with materials dispersed on the substrate from the group of graphene, carbon nanotubes, conductive nanofibers, silver powder and liquid metal in order to take advantage of the many well known properties of conductive materials for an electronic circuit in a small electronic device. The Examiner takes Official Notice.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 9-11 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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SEAN H NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)270-5728. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10-6 PM.
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/SEAN H NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2691
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