DETAILED ACTION
The Art Unit location of your application in the PTO has changed. To aid in correlating any papers for this application, all further correspondence regarding this application should be directed to Group Art Unit 2691.
This communication is responsive to the preliminary amended claims filed 12/20/2024.
Claim Objections
Claims 26 and 29 are objected to because of the following informalities:
A broad range or limitation together with a narrow range or limitation that falls within the broad range or limitation (in the same claim) is considered indefinite, since the resulting claim does not clearly set forth the metes and bounds of the patent protection desired. Note the explanation given by the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences in Ex parte Wu, 10 USPQ2d 2031, 2033 (Bd. Pat. App. & Inter. 1989), as to where broad language is followed by "such as" and then narrow language. The Board stated that this can render a claim indefinite by raising a question or doubt as to whether the feature introduced by such language is (a) merely exemplary of the remainder of the claim, and therefore not required, or (b) a required feature of the claims. Note also, for example, the decisions of Ex parte Steigewald, 131 USPQ 74 (Bd. App. 1961); Ex parte Hall, 83 USPQ 38 (Bd. App. 1948); and Ex parte Hasche, 86 USPQ 481 (Bd. App. 1949).
Claims 26 and 29 are objected to under 37 CFR 1.75(c), as being of improper dependent form for failing to further limit the subject matter of a previous claim. Applicant is required to cancel the claim(s), or amend the claim(s) to place the claim(s) in proper dependent form, or rewrite the claim(s) in independent form. Claim 1 claims a core module, comprising a housing; a transducer device; a vibration panel and a face attachment component (Fig. 2) and claims 26 and 29 claim an electronic device (Fig. 1), which clearly fails to further limiting claim 1.
Appropriate correction is required.
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
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.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103(a) 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 under 35 U.S.C. 103 (a), the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned at the time any inventions covered therein were made absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and invention dates of each claim that was not commonly owned at the time a later invention was made in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 103(c) and potential 35 U.S.C. 102(e), (f) or (g) prior art under 35 U.S.C. 103(a).
Claims 1, 6 and 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Fu et al. (CN – 212 851 008 U).
Regarding claim 1, Fu et al. disclose a core module (10), comprising a housing component (11), a transducer device (121), a vibration panel (122), and a face attachment component (13), wherein the transducer device is disposed in the housing component (Fig. 2), the vibration panel is connected with the transducer device (Fig. 12), the face attachment component includes a face attachment sleeve (131), and the face attachment sleeve is connected with the vibration panel by a bonding medium to make the vibration panel contact a skin of a user by the face attachment component ([0046]) as claimed. But Fu et al. may not specially teach that the bonding medium is configured to allow the face attachment component to be removed from the vibration panel as a whole without damaging the face attachment component and the vibration panel as claimed. Since providing suitable integrated elements for a core module is very well known in the art (Official Notice), and Fu et al. do suggest for modification, it therefore would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to be motivated to provide integrated elements, such as the bonding medium being configured to allow the face attachment component to be removed from the vibration panel as a whole, for the core module taught by Fu et al., in order to effectively and efficiently manufacture the core module.
Regarding claim 6, Boesen et al. further disclose the core module, wherein the face attachment component (13) includes a reinforcement member (122) connected with the face attachment sleeve (131), a hardness of the reinforcement member is greater than a hardness of the face attachment sleeve, and the face attachment component is detachably connected with the housing component by the reinforcement member (Figs. 3-6).
Regarding claim 21, Fu et al. may not specially teach that a ratio of a cover area of the reinforcement member covered by the face attachment sleeve to a surface area of the reinforcement member is greater than or equal to 0.8 as claimed. Since providing suitable ratio for a cover area of the reinforcement member covered by the face attachment sleeve to a surface area of the reinforcement member of a core module is very well known in the art (Official Notice), and Fu et al. do suggest for modification, it therefore would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to be motivated to provide a suitable ratio, such as greater than or equal to 0.8, for the cover area of the reinforcement member covered by the face attachment sleeve to the surface area of the reinforcement member of the core module taught by Fu et al., in order to effectively and efficiently manufacture the core module for certain application.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2, 7-8, 10-13, 15-16, 22-25 and 27-28 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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SUHAN NI whose telephone number is (571)272-7505. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday to Friday from 10:00 am to 6:30 pm.
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/SUHAN NI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2691
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