Patent Application 18547314 - ELECTRODYNAMIC LOUDSPEAKER FOR HORN WITH - Rejection

Patent Application 18547314 - ELECTRODYNAMIC LOUDSPEAKER FOR HORN WITH

Title: ELECTRODYNAMIC LOUDSPEAKER FOR HORN WITH IMPROVED THERMAL DISSIPATION AND MANUFACTURING METHOD

Application Information

• Invention Title: ELECTRODYNAMIC LOUDSPEAKER FOR HORN WITH IMPROVED THERMAL DISSIPATION AND MANUFACTURING METHOD
• Application Number: 18547314
• Submission Date: 2025-05-14T00:00:00.000Z
• Effective Filing Date: 2023-08-21T00:00:00.000Z
• Filing Date: 2023-08-21T00:00:00.000Z
• National Class: 381
• National Sub-Class: 182000
• Examiner Employee Number: 88909
• Art Unit: 2693
• Tech Center: 2600

Rejection Summary

• 102 Rejections: 0
• 103 Rejections: 2

Cited Patents

The following patents were cited in the rejection:

• US 0150392🔗
• US 5748760🔗
• US 0064414🔗
• US 0025551🔗

Office Action Text

    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 § 112(b)
2.	The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b)  CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.


The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.

3.	Claims 1 and 3-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA  35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
4.	Claim 1 recites “where a wire that makes up the winding of the voice coil (1) has a circular section, two layers, and the increase in the radiating surface is obtained by doubling a height of the winding (1), passing to a single layer winding in the air gap (2), which is elongated in the same proportion as the coil” in lines 8-11. This limitation is generally unclear, as the claim recites the winding having “two layers,” and further recites “passing to a single layer,” therefore it is not clear if the winding has two layers or a single layer, or if the claim is meant to be interpreted as comprising both at the same time (e.g. if a section of the winding is comprised of two layers and another section further extends in height in a single layer). For the purposes of prior art rejection, the claim has been interpreted as having a single layer with double the height of a two-layer configuration, as supported by the specification. Appropriate correction or clarification is required. 
	In addition, it is not clear if the limitations “voice coil (1)” and “winding (1)” are referring to the same element or structure, or if they are meant to be interpreted as a separate elements or structures. For the purposes of prior art rejection, the terms have been interpreted as interchangeable and therefore referring to the same structure. Appropriate correction or clarification is required.
5.	Claims 3-9 are dependent on claim 1 and are therefore also rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for at least the same reasons as parent claim 1.

6.	Claim 4 further recites “a coil,” “an air gap,” “a magnetic circuit,” and “a winding” in lines 3-4 of the claim. It is unclear if these elements are the same or different from the “voice coil,” the “air gap,” the “magnetic circuit” and the “winding” previously recited in lines 3-4 of parent claim 1.

7.	Claim 7 further recites “a coil,” “an air gap,” “a magnetic circuit,” and “a winding” in lines 3-4 of the claim. It is unclear if these elements are the same or different from the “voice coil,” the “air gap,” the “magnetic circuit” and the “winding” previously recited in lines 3-4 of parent claim 1.



Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112(d)
8.	The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(d):
(d) REFERENCE IN DEPENDENT FORMS.—Subject to subsection (e), a claim in dependent form shall contain a reference to a claim previously set forth and then specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed. A claim in dependent form shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of the claim to which it refers.

The following is a quotation of pre-AIA  35 U.S.C. 112, fourth paragraph:
Subject to the following paragraph [i.e., the fifth paragraph of pre-AIA  35 U.S.C. 112], a claim in dependent form shall contain a reference to a claim previously set forth and then specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed. A claim in dependent form shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of the claim to which it refers.

9.	Claims 3, 6 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(d) or pre-AIA  35 U.S.C. 112, 4th paragraph, as being of improper dependent form for failing to further limit the subject matter of the claim upon which it depends, or for failing to include all the limitations of the claim upon which it depends. Claim 3 recites the wire as having “a rectangular section” in line 2 of the claim, and doubling the radiating surface by doubling a width of the winding. Similarly, claim 6 recites “doubling a width of the winding (1) of a rectangular section” in line 2 of the claim. Claim 9 also recites “doubling the width of the winding (1) of the rectangular section” in line 2 of the claim. However the wire is recited in parent claim 1 as having a circular section, and doubling the radiating surface by doubling a height. 
Applicant may cancel the claim(s), amend the claim(s) to place the claim(s) in proper dependent form, rewrite the claim(s) in independent form, or present a sufficient showing that the dependent claim(s) complies with the statutory requirements.

Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
10.	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.

11.	Claim(s) 1 and 4-5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US Patent No 5748760 to Button in view of US Patent Pub No 2008/0025551 A1 to Wehner et al. (“Wehner”), and further in view of US Patent Pub No 2013/0064414 A1 to Flavignard et al. (“Flavignard”).
As to claim 1, Button discloses an electrodynamic loudspeaker with thermal dissipation that, being configured to increase thermal dissipation in loudspeaker models for medium and high frequencies (see figures 1-2; col. 1, lines 14-31; col. 2, lines 48-54), comprises a voice coil (1), an air gap (2) and a magnetic circuit (3) that comprises at its pole pieces (4) facing a winding (1) (see figure 1; col. 2, lines 55-60; col. 5, lines 1-6, 26-36 and 64-66) and characterized in that an increase in thermal dissipation is obtained by doubling a heat radiating surface of winding (1); and characterized in that the increase in the radiating surface is obtained by doubling a height of the winding (1) (see figure 1; col. 7, lines 11-18).
Button does not expressly disclose the winding being a single layer of winding (1), nor where a wire that makes up the winding of the voice coil (1) has two layers, and passing to a single layer winding in the air gap (2), which is elongated in the same proportion as the coil. However the winding structure of a coil being two-layer or an elongated single layer is known in the art, as taught by Wehner, which discloses a similar speaker, and further discloses the coils with single windings in a multi-coil structure can be configured as stacked together in a radial or peripheral direction (see figure 1; pg. 2, ¶ 0012, ¶ 0025), or stacked together in an elongated axial direction (see figures 3-5; pg. 3, ¶ 0030). The use of a single winding for a stacked dual or multi-coil structure is therefore considered obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, as multi-coil structures can be configured in any number of ways, including stacked radially or axially, and further as such configurations can be selected to optimize desired loudspeaker characteristics (Wehner pg. 2, ¶ 0012 - ¶ 0013), as well as provide the desired surface area when stacked along an axial direction, as already taught by Button. 
In addition, the electrodynamic loudspeaker being a horn loudspeaker and the wire having a circular section are known features of loudspeaker devices and coil structures, as taught by Flavignard, which discloses a similar speaker device, and further discloses the speaker having a horn (see figures 1-7; pg. 8, ¶ 0162, ¶ 0165) as well as a coil wire with a circular or rectangular section (see pg. 5, ¶ 0108). The proposed modification is therefore considered obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, the motivation being as a matter of design for the wire structure, and further as the use of a horn can provide directivity for the speaker, as well as acoustical impedance adjustment (Flavignard pg. 2, ¶ 0029; pg. 8, ¶ 0162). 
As to claim 4, Button in view of Wehner and Flavignard further discloses a method of manufacturing a horn loudspeaker according to claim 1, which, being configured to increase thermal dissipation in loudspeaker models for medium and high frequencies, comprises a coil (1), an air gap (2) and a magnetic circuit (3) comprising, in turn, pole pieces (4) facing a winding (1), wherein the method and characterized in that it comprises doubling the heat radiating surface of the winding (1) in a single layer (see claim 1 rejection; Button figure 1; col. 5, lines 1-6, 26-36 and 64-66; col. 7, lines 11-18; Wehner pg. 2, ¶ 0012; pg. 3, ¶ 0030).  
As to claim 5, Button in view of Wehner and Flavignard further discloses comprising doubling the height of the winding (1) of the circular section in the air gap (2) (Button col. 7, lines 11-18; Flavignard pg. 5, ¶ 0108). 

12.	Claim(s) 3 and 6-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Button in view of Wehner and Flavignard, and further in view of US Patent Pub No 2010/0150392 A1 to O’neill.
As to claim 3, Button in view of Wehner and Flavignard discloses the loudspeaker according to claim 1.
Button in view of Wehner and Flavignard further discloses where the wire that makes up the winding of the voice coil (1) has a rectangular section, single layer (Wehner pg. 2, ¶ 0012; Flavignard pg. 5, ¶ 0108) but does not disclose wherein the doubling of the radiating surface is obtained by doubling a width of the winding (1) in the air gap (2), which lengthens in the same proportion as the coil. However such a configuration is known in the art, as taught by O’neill, which discloses various coil configurations, and further discloses the coil wire being rectangular and having a larger width (see figures 4A-4C; pg. 3, ¶ 0029). The proposed modification is therefore considered obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, as voice coil wires can be configured in any geometry, and further as rectangular wiring in a single layer is known to offer excellent cooling (O’neill pg. 3, ¶ 0029 - ¶ 0030).
As to claim 6, Button in view of Wehner and Flavignard and O’neill further discloses comprising doubling a width of the winding (1) of a rectangular section in the air gap (2) (Flavignard pg. 5, ¶ 0108; O’neill figures 4A-4C; pg. 3, ¶ 0029).  
As to claim 7, Button in view of Wehner and Flavignard and O’neill further discloses which, being configured to increase thermal dissipation in loudspeaker models for medium and high frequencies, comprises a coil (1), an air gap (2) and a magnetic circuit (3) comprising, in turn, pole pieces (4) facing a winding (1), wherein the method comprises doubling the heat radiating surface of the winding (1) in a single layer (see claim 1 rejection; Button figure 1; col. 5, lines 1-6, 26-36 and 64-66; col. 7, lines 11-18; Wehner pg. 2, ¶ 0012; pg. 3, ¶ 0030).  
As to claim 8, Button in view of Wehner and Flavignard and O’neill further discloses comprising doubling the height of the winding (1) of circular section in the air gap (2) (Button col. 7, lines 11-18; Flavignard pg. 5, ¶ 0108).  
As to claim 9, Button in view of Wehner and Flavignard and O’neill further discloses comprising doubling the width of the winding (1) of the rectangular section in the air gap (2) (Flavignard pg. 5, ¶ 0108; O’neill figures 4A-4C; pg. 3, ¶ 0029). 

Conclusion
13.	Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SABRINA DIAZ whose telephone number is (571)272-1621. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9am-5pm.
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/SABRINA DIAZ/Examiner, Art Unit 2693 


/AHMAD F. MATAR/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2693