DETAILED ACTION
1. Applicant's amendments and remarks submitted on April 28, 2025 have been entered. Claims 1, 4, 11, 14 and 21 have been amended. Claims 1-21 are still pending on this application, with claims 1-21 being rejected. No new rejections are set forth herein; accordingly, this action is made final.
2. The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
3. Claim(s) 1, 3-11 and 13-21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by US Patent Pub No 2020/0322743 A1 to Cengarle et al. (“Cengarle”).
As to claim 1, Cengarle discloses an audio system comprising: a plurality of speakers positioned in a speaker arrangement in an environment (see figures 1A-1B; pg. 5, ¶ 0087; pg. 7, ¶ 0122 - ¶ 0123); and an audio signal generator operably coupled with each speaker of the plurality of speakers, wherein the audio signal generator includes at least one processor configured to cause performance of operations (see pg. 7, ¶ 0115; pg. 14, ¶ 0239), the operations including: obtaining an audio heatmap that represents a coordinated sound emission profile in the environment with the plurality of speakers, the coordinated sound emission profile being based on an audio emission profile of each speaker in the plurality of speakers, each respective audio emission profile being based on a volume potential of a speaker in the plurality of speakers and a position of the speaker in the environment (first set of energy levels based on speaker layout, see top row of figures 1A-1B; pg. 4, ¶ 0061; pg. 7, ¶ 0123; pg. 9, ¶ 0156); comparing one or more rendering locations of an audio object with the audio heatmap; determining the one or more rendering locations to result in a deficient rendering of the audio object based on the audio heatmap (spatial positions of audio objects compared to first set of energy levels, see figures 1A-1B; pg. 4, ¶ 0054 - ¶ 0057; pgs. 7-8, ¶ 0123 - ¶ 0130; pg. 10, ¶ 0158); and causing the plurality of speakers to reduce a volume for the audio object to be inaudible in the one or more rendering locations or causing the plurality of speakers to not render the audio object in the one or more rendering locations (objects at predetermined position or area are muted or attenuated, see figures 3B-3C; pg. 3, ¶ 0052; pg. 9, ¶ 0150 - ¶ 0151).
As to claim 3, Cengarle further discloses wherein the operations further include at least one of: determining the speaker arrangement to have inadequate speaker density or positioning to render the audio object in the one or more rendering locations (see pg. 13, ¶ 0219 - ¶ 0221), determining an ambiance of the environment to be improved without the audio object being rendered in the one or more rendering locations (see pg. 3, ¶ 0043, ¶ 0052; pg. 6, ¶ 0106 - ¶ 0107; pg. 12, ¶ 0193) or determining that rendering of the audio object in the one or more rendering locations results in rendering of the audio object in a different rendering location due to the speaker arrangement (see pg. 13, ¶ 0219 - ¶ 0227).
As to claim 4, Cengarle further discloses wherein the one or more rendering locations of the audio object are included in a travel path of the audio object in the environment and the operations further include: comparing the travel path of the audio object in the environment with the audio heatmap, wherein comparing the travel path of the audio object includes comparing the one or more rendering locations; determining the travel path includes a path portion that passes through a region in the environment that the audio heatmap indicates is deficient for rendering of the audio object, the path portion including the one or more rendering locations; and causing the plurality of speakers to reduce the volume for the audio object to be inaudible in the path portion of the travel path or causing the plurality of speakers to not render the audio object in the path portion of the travel path (moving objects within predetermined area, see figures 3B-3C; pg. 3, ¶ 0042, ¶ 0047 - ¶ 0052).
As to claim 5, Cengarle further discloses wherein the operations further include causing the rendering of the audio object to audibly taper as the rendering of the audio object in the travel path approaches the path portion of the travel path (moving objects within predetermined area follow smoothing function, see figures 3B-3C; pg. 3, ¶ 0047 - ¶ 0052; pg. 9, ¶ 0150).
As to claim 6, Cengarle further discloses wherein the reducing the volume for the audio object to be inaudible in the one or more rendering locations includes rendering of the audio object to audibly taper (moving objects within predetermined area follow smoothing function, see figures 3B-3C; pg. 3, ¶ 0047 - ¶ 0052; pg. 9, ¶ 0150).
As to claim 7, Cengarle further discloses wherein the operations further include: determining the travel path includes a second portion of the travel path that passes through a second region in the environment that the audio heatmap indicates is sufficient for rendering the audio object; and modulating audio output of one or more speakers of the plurality of speakers so that the audio object is rendered along the travel path in the second region (moving objects outside predetermined area, see figures 3B-3C; pg. 3, ¶ 0047 - ¶ 0052; pg. 9, ¶ 0150 - ¶ 0151).
As to claim 8, Cengarle further discloses wherein the operations further include causing the rendering of the audio object to audibly gradually increase as the travel path leaves the second portion of the travel path and enters into the second region (see figures 3B-3C; pg. 3, ¶ 0047 - ¶ 0052; pg. 9, ¶ 0150 - ¶ 0151).
As to claim 9, Cengarle further discloses wherein the determining the one or more rendering locations to result in a deficient rendering of the audio object includes determining the rendering of the audio object at the one or more rendering locations to have a volume lower than a minimum volume threshold (threshold energy level, see figure 11; pg. 7, ¶ 0109 - ¶ 0110; pgs. 12-13, ¶ 0200 - ¶ 0206, ¶ 0216).
As to claim 10, Cengarle further discloses wherein the operations further include determining, based on the audio heatmap, a second rendering location of the audio object with a sufficient rendering of the audio object (adjusting spatial position, see pg. 6, ¶ 0094 - ¶ 0098; ¶ 0106).
As to claim 11, Cengarle discloses a method for inhibiting an audio object from rendering, the method comprising: obtaining an audio heatmap that represents a coordinated sound emission profile in an environment from a plurality of speakers in a speaker arrangement, the coordinated sound emission profile being based on an audio emission profile of each speaker in the plurality of speakers, each respective audio emission profile being based on a volume potential of a speaker in the plurality of speakers and a position of the speaker in the environment (first set of energy levels based on speaker layout, see top row of figures 1A-1B; pg. 4, ¶ 0061; pg. 7, ¶ 0123; pg. 9, ¶ 0156); comparing one or more rendering locations of an audio object with the audio heatmap; determining the one or more rendering locations to result in a deficient rendering of the audio object based on the audio heatmap (spatial positions of audio objects compared to first set of energy levels, see figures 1A-1B; pg. 4, ¶ 0054 - ¶ 0057; pgs. 7-8, ¶ 0123 - ¶ 0130; pg. 10, ¶ 0158); and causing the plurality of speakers to reduce a volume of the audio object to be inaudible in the one or more rendering locations or causing the plurality of speakers to not render the audio object in the one or more rendering locations (objects at predetermined position or area are muted or attenuated, see figures 3B-3C; pg. 3, ¶ 0052; pg. 9, ¶ 0150 - ¶ 0151).
As to claim 13, Cengarle further discloses further comprising at least one of: determining the speaker arrangement to have inadequate speaker density or positioning to render the audio object in the one or more rendering locations (see pg. 13, ¶ 0219 - ¶ 0221), determining an ambiance of the environment to be improved without the audio object being rendered in the one or more rendering locations (see pg. 3, ¶ 0043, ¶ 0052; pg. 6, ¶ 0106 - ¶ 0107; pg. 12, ¶ 0193) or determining rendering of the audio object in the one or more rendering locations results in rendering of the audio object in a different rendering location due to the speaker arrangement (see pg. 13, ¶ 0219 - ¶ 0227).
As to claim 14, Cengarle further discloses wherein the one or more rendering locations of the audio object are included in a travel path of the audio object in the environment and the method further comprises: comparing the travel path of the audio object in the environment with the audio heatmap, wherein comparing the travel path of the audio object includes comparing the one or more rendering locations; determining the travel path includes a path portion that passes through a region in the environment that the audio heatmap indicates to be deficient for rendering of the audio object, the path portion including the one or more rendering locations; and causing the plurality of speakers to reduce the volume for the audio object to be inaudible in the path portion of the travel path or causing the plurality of speakers to not render the audio object in the path portion of the travel path (moving objects within predetermined area, see figures 3B-3C; pg. 3, ¶ 0042, ¶ 0047 - ¶ 0052).
As to claim 15, Cengarle further discloses further comprising causing the rendering of the audio object to audibly taper as the rendering of the audio object in the travel path approaches the path portion of the travel path (moving objects within predetermined area follow smoothing function, see figures 3B-3C; pg. 3, ¶ 0047 - ¶ 0052; pg. 9, ¶ 0150).
As to claim 16, Cengarle further discloses wherein the reducing the volume for the audio object to be inaudible in the one or more rendering locations includes rendering of the audio object to audibly taper (moving objects within predetermined area follow smoothing function, see figures 3B-3C; pg. 3, ¶ 0047 - ¶ 0052; pg. 9, ¶ 0150).
As to claim 17, Cengarle further discloses further comprising: determining the travel path includes a second portion of the travel path that passes through a second region in the environment that is sufficient for rendering the audio object; and modulating audio output of one or more speakers of the plurality of speakers so that the audio object is rendered along the travel path in the second region (moving objects outside predetermined area, see figures 3B-3C; pg. 3, ¶ 0047 - ¶ 0052; pg. 9, ¶ 0150 - ¶ 0151).
As to claim 18, Cengarle further discloses further comprising causing the rendering of the audio object to audibly gradually increase as the travel path leaves the second portion of the travel path and enters into the second region (see figures 3B-3C; pg. 3, ¶ 0047 - ¶ 0052; pg. 9, ¶ 0150 - ¶ 0151).
As to claim 19, Cengarle further discloses wherein the determining the one or more rendering locations to result in a deficient rendering of the audio object includes determining the rendering of the audio object at the one or more rendering locations to have a volume lower than a minimum volume threshold (threshold energy level, see figure 11; pg. 7, ¶ 0109 - ¶ 0110; pgs. 12-13, ¶ 0200 - ¶ 0206, ¶ 0216).
As to claim 20, Cengarle further discloses further comprising: determining, based on the audio heatmap, a second rendering location of the audio object with a sufficient rendering of the audio object (adjusting spatial position, see pg. 6, ¶ 0094 - ¶ 0098; ¶ 0106).
As to claim 21, Cengarle discloses one or more non-transitory computer readable media storing instructions that in response to being executed by one or more processors, cause a computer system to perform operations (see pg. 5, ¶ 0086 - ¶ 0087; pg. 14, ¶ 0239), the operations comprising: obtaining an audio heatmap that represents a coordinated sound emission profile in an environment from a plurality of speakers in a speaker arrangement, the coordinated sound emission profile being based on an audio emission profile of each speaker in the plurality of speakers, each respective audio emission profile being based on a volume potential of a speaker in the plurality of speakers and a position of the speaker in the environment (first set of energy levels based on speaker layout, see top row of figures 1A-1B; pg. 4, ¶ 0061; pg. 7, ¶ 0123; pg. 9, ¶ 0156); comparing one or more rendering locations of an audio object with the audio heatmap; determining the one or more rendering locations to result in a deficient rendering of the audio object based on the audio heatmap (spatial positions of audio objects compared to first set of energy levels, see figures 1A-1B; pg. 4, ¶ 0054 - ¶ 0057; pgs. 7-8, ¶ 0123 - ¶ 0130; pg. 10, ¶ 0158); and causing the plurality of speakers to reduce a volume of the audio object to be inaudible in the one or more rendering locations or causing the plurality of speakers to not render the audio object in the one or more rendering locations (objects at predetermined position or area are muted or attenuated, see figures 3B-3C; pg. 3, ¶ 0052; pg. 9, ¶ 0150 - ¶ 0151).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
4. Claim(s) 2 and 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cengarle.
As to claims 2 and 12, Cengarle discloses the audio system and method of respective claims 1 and 11.
Cengarle further discloses wherein causing the plurality of speakers to reduce the volume for the audio object to be inaudible in the one or more rendering locations includes modulating audio output of one or more speakers of the plurality of speakers (see pg. 3, ¶ 0052; pg. 9, ¶ 0151), but does not expressly disclose wherein the determining the one or more rendering locations to result in the deficient rendering of the audio object includes determining the one or more rendering locations in the audio heatmap to result in an audio unevenness or rapid volume dropout for the audio object. However such a configuration is considered obvious given the teachings of Cengarle, as it teaches detecting faulty rendering of audio objects that can cause a degraded listening experience, particularly regarding energy levels (see pg. 3, ¶ 0043; pg. 10, ¶ 0157), and further teaches avoiding abrupt volume changes and achieving a smoother listening experience by providing a more continuous transition between muted or inaudible audio object content and fully rendered audio content (see pg. 3, ¶ 0051). Audio unevenness or rapid volume dropout being considered deficient rendering is therefore considered obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, as they are merely examples of degraded listening experiences that can occur when the energy levels of an audio object do not match the energy levels of a loudspeaker layout arrangement in a listening environment, as taught by Cengarle.
Response to Arguments
5. Applicant's arguments filed April 28, 2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Regarding claims 1, 11 and 21, Applicant argues “Cengarle appears to merely disclose comparing the rendering of the audio object, as extracted, in the layout with how the audio object is rendered in the layout in the original format—the multichannel audio signal—of the audio object in order to determine if the audio object is rendered in the same way after audio object extraction” and therefore “does not disclose determining whether a rendering location results in a deficient rendering of the audio object based on an audio heatmap "that represents a coordinated sound emission profile in the environment with the plurality of speakers, the coordinated sound emission profile being based on an audio emission profile of each speaker in the plurality of speakers, each respective audio emission profile being based on a volume potential of a speaker in the plurality of speakers and a position of the speaker in the environment" as recited by independent claim 1.”
Examiner respectfully disagrees. Cengarle teaches the system obtains an audio heatmap representing a coordinated sound emission profile in the environment with the plurality of speakers, as shown in figures 1A-1B. That is, the system extracts audio levels corresponding to the plurality of channels in a multichannel audio signal that correspond to a speaker layout or configuration, such as 5.1 or 7.1. Each channel or speaker has a predetermined position in space depending on the configuration; figures 1A-1B show a 5.1 configuration as an example, and show a first set of energy levels obtained for the channels or speakers in said configuration in the top portion of the figures, where the speakers are shaded according to their audio/energy level contributions (see pg. 4, ¶ 0061; pg. 7, ¶ 0123; pg. 13, ¶ 0224). The energy levels are therefore presented as an audio heatmap according to the positioning of the speakers in the environment, with darker shades corresponding to higher audio levels. As can be seen in figures 1A-1B, there is a coordinated sound emission profile based on speaker location and the audio level emissions of each speaker that is obtained by the system and used for faulty rendering determination.
The system then determines a rendering location or spatial position of an audio object, as shown in the middle portion of the figures. In order to estimate a risk that a rendered version of the audio object will be rendered differently than intended (and therefore degrade the listening experience), the energy levels, or panning parameters, are input to a risk estimation unit, as well as the spatial or rendering position of the object (see figures 1A-1B and 3A-4; pg. 8, ¶ 0138; pg. 10, ¶ 0157 - ¶ 0158). A second set of energy levels is computed corresponding to the rendered object and its location (see lower portion of figures 1A-1B), and both sets are compared to determine a risk of faulty rendering. If a risk exceeds the threshold, i.e. it is determined that a rendered location of the audio object is deficient and degrades the listening experience, the object is rendered using the original panning parameters or according to specific panning rules (see pg. 10, ¶ 0164 - ¶ 0166). In the example of figure 1B, if the object rendering is determined to degrade the listening experience by fully rendering the object using the center channel, the system provides a way to preserve the original intent when rendering the object, where the center channel provides 0% and the front left and right channels each provide 50% of the rendering (see figure 1B; pg. 2, ¶ 0040; pg. 8, ¶ 0130 - ¶ 0132). Similarly, in instances where the object is rendered at a predetermined position or area that exceeds the risk threshold, the object is muted or attenuated (see figures 3B-3C; pg. 3, ¶ 0052; pg. 9, ¶ 0150 - ¶ 0151).
Cengarle is therefore considered to teach the system as claimed, including the obtaining of an audio heatmap representing a coordinated sound emission profile based on the audio emission profile and position of each speaker in an environment, and the use of said audio heatmap for determining rendering locations that result in a deficient rendering of an audio object.
Conclusion
6. THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
7. 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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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ahmad Matar can be reached at 5712727488. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/SABRINA DIAZ/Examiner, Art Unit 2693
/ANTIM G SHAH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2693