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.
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) 1, 4, 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen (CN219477822U, See US 2024/0339907 A1 for English Translation) in view of Ishikawa et al. (US 2020/0067393 A1).
As to claim 1, Chen shows A linear vibration motor 100 comprising:
a shell 1 with an accommodating cavity;
a vibration unit 3 elastically supported in the accommodating cavity, comprising a magnet component 32;
a driving unit 2 fixed in the shell 1 and driving the vibration unit 3 to vibrate;
an insulating layer 5 attached to the shell 1; and
a circuit board 21 fixed in the accommodating cavity and electrically connected with the driving unit 2; wherein
the driving unit 2 is spaced apart from and directly opposite to the vibration unit 3, the driving unit 2 comprises a coil 221 both fixed with the shell 1 and the circuit board by glue 5, the coil 221 is electrically connected to the circuit via a coil wire 224 extending from the coil 221, the insulating layer 5 is sandwiched between the coil wire 224 and the shell 1 (FIG. 2-5, ¶ 22, 25-27).
Chen does not show the circuit board is a flexible printed circuit board.
Ishikawa shows the circuit board is a flexible printed circuit board (FPC substrate ¶18).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the circuit board 21 of Chen to have the circuit board 21 is a flexible printed circuit board as taught by Ishikawa, for the advantageous benefit of the circuit board 21 has flexibility enabling vibration to be absorbed by the circuit board 21 while suppressing deformation of the lead wires 224 as taught by Ishikawa (¶84).
As to claim 4/1, Chen in view of Ishikawa was discussed above with respect to claim 1, and Chen further shows wherein the insulating layer is polyimide or a double-side adhesive (back glue 5 is implied to be double-sided ¶25).
As to claim 10/1, Chen in view of Ishikawa was discussed above with respect to claim 1, and Chen further shows wherein the shell 1 is in a rectangular shape, the linear vibration motor 100 further comprises two elastic members 4, two opposite sides of the vibration unit 3 are supported on two opposite sides of the shell 1 by the two elastic members 4 (FIG. 2, ¶29).
Claim(s) 2,3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen (CN219477822U, See US 2024/0339907 A1 for English Translation) in view of Ishikawa et al. (US 2020/0067393 A1) and Yan et al. (US 2020/0412220 A1, hereinafter Yan).
As to claim 2/1, Chen in view of Ishikawa was discussed above with respect to claim 1, and Chen further shows (FIG. 3 as modified):
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wherein the coil 221 is in an annular shape, the flexible printed circuit board 21 comprises a main portion 21M spaced apart from the coil 221 and extending to outside of the shell 1, a portion 21A fixed between the coil 221 and the shell 1, the coil 221 is attached to the portion 21A, at least part of the coil 221 is connected with the shell 1 by glue 5.
Chen does not show the circuit board comprises an annular portion fixed between the coil and the shell, and a connection portion connected with the main portion and the annular portion, the coil is attached to the annular portion.
Yan shows (FIG. 2):
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the circuit board 40 comprises an annular portion 40H fixed between the coil 30 and the shell 10, and a connection portion 40C connected with the main portion 40M and the annular portion 40H, the coil 30 is attached to the annular portion 40H.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the circuit board 21 of Chen in view of Ishikawa to have the flexible printed circuit board 21 (as modified) comprises an annular portion 40H fixed between the coil 221 and the shell 1, and a connection portion 40C connected with the main portion 21M and the annular portion 40H, the coil 221 is attached to the annular portion 40H as taught by Yan, for the advantageous benefit of reducing the weight of the vibration motor 100 with a circuit board 21 having a smaller volume.
As to claim 3/2/1, Chen in view of Ishikawa and Yan was discussed above with respect to claim 2
except for the flexible printed circuit board is provided with a through hole running therethrough, the through hole runs through the connection portion and/or the annular portion.
Yan shows (FIG. 2 above) the circuit board 40 is provided with a through hole H running therethrough, the through hole H runs through the annular portion 40H.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the circuit board 21 of Chen in view of Ishikawa and Yan to have the flexible printed circuit board 21 (as modified) is provided with a through hole H running therethrough, the through hole H runs through the connection portion and/or the annular portion 40H as taught by Yan, for the advantageous benefit of reducing the weight of the vibration motor 100 with a circuit board 21 having a smaller volume.
Claim(s) 5-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen (CN219477822U, See US 2024/0339907 A1 for English Translation) in view of Ishikawa et al. (US 2020/0067393 A1) and QIN (CN 106487196 A).
As to claim 5/1, Chen in view of Ishikawa was discussed above with respect to claim 1, and Chen further shows (FIG. 6) wherein the vibration unit 3 further comprises a mass block 31 elastically supported in the shell 1, and the magnet component 32 (¶ 28).
Chen does not show the magnet component comprises a first magnet group and a second magnet group, the first magnet group is fixed to a side of the mass block close to the coil, the second magnet group is fixed to a side of the mass block far away from the coil.
QIN shows the magnet component comprises a first magnet group 41a,42,41b and a second magnet group 43, the first magnet group 41a,42,41b is fixed to a side of the mass block 6 close to the coil 2, the second magnet group 43 is fixed to a side of the mass block 6 far away from the coil 2 (FIG. 1, ¶ 53).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the linear vibration motor 100 of Chen in view of Ishikawa to have the magnet component comprises a first magnet group 41a,42,41b and a second magnet group 43, the first magnet group 41a,42,41b is fixed to a side of the mass block 31 close to the coil 221, the second magnet group 43 is fixed to a side of the mass block 31 far away from the coil 221 as taught by QIN, for the advantageous benefit of effectively increasing the driving force used to drive the linear vibration motor 100 to vibrate repeatedly as taught by QIN (¶ 54).
As to claim 6/5/1, Chen in view of Ishikawa and QIN was discussed above with respect to claim 5 except for the first magnet group comprises three first magnets fixed with the side of the mass block close to the coil, the three first magnets are spaced apart in sequence along a vibration direction of the vibration unit, the second magnet group comprises three second magnets fixed with the side of the mass block far away from the coil, the three second magnets are spaced apart in sequence along the vibration direction of the vibration unit, the three first magnets are arranged directly opposite to the three second magnets.
QIN shows the first magnet group 41a,42,41b comprises three first magnets 41a,42,41b fixed with the side of the mass block 6 close to the coil 2, the three first magnets 41a,42,41b are spaced apart in sequence along a vibration direction of the vibration unit, the second magnet group 43 comprises three second magnets 43 fixed with the side of the mass block 6 far away from the coil 2, the three second magnets 43 are spaced apart in sequence along the vibration direction of the vibration unit, the three first magnets 41a,42,41b are arranged directly opposite to the three second magnets 43 (FIG. 1, ¶ 53).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the linear vibration motor 100 of Chen in view of Ishikawa to have the first magnet group 41a,42,41b comprises three first magnets 41a,42,41b fixed with the side of the mass block 31 close to the coil 221, the three first magnets 41a,42,41b are spaced apart in sequence along a vibration direction of the vibration unit, the second magnet group 43 comprises three second magnets 43 fixed with the side of the mass block 31 far away from the coil 221, the three second magnets 43 are spaced apart in sequence along the vibration direction of the vibration unit, the three first magnets 41a,42,41b are arranged directly opposite to the three second magnets 43 as taught by QIN, for the advantageous benefit of effectively increasing the driving force used to drive the linear vibration motor 100 to vibrate repeatedly as taught by QIN (¶ 54).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7-9 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 prior art does not show or suggest the first groove and the second groove in combination with the other elements recited in claims 5-7. Dependent claims 8-9 contain allowable subject matter for the same reason.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ROBERT E MATES whose telephone number is (571)270-5293. The examiner can normally be reached M to F 12:00pm to 8pm.
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/ROBERT E MATES/Examiner, Art Unit 2834
/TULSIDAS C PATEL/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834
