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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 11/13/2025 has been entered.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claims 1-3, 6-8, 10-13, 15-20 and 24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cheung et al. (published as US 20210287692 A1) in view of MacNeille et al. (published as US 20170213541A1 A1; hereafter MacNeille) and Baym et al. (US 20140369514 A1; hereafter Baym).
Regarding claim 1, Cheung discloses an audio system for providing a personalized audio zone (for the user being directed by the speakers as shown in Fig. 25), the audio system comprising:
a first speaker (1504) configured to transmit an ultrasonic signal directed toward a first listener (who is located at a point in space, ultrasonic speaker 1504 inherently includes a main axis directed toward a point in space, more detail would be explained in view of Baym) modulated by a first portion of a first audio signal intended for the first listener (the listener that the speaker 1504 aims at), the first portion being in a higher-frequency band including first frequencies (“The ultrasonic speaker 1504 can be responsible for the high frequency sector” in [0236]); and
a second speaker (1506) configured to transmit a second portion of the first audio signal, wherein the second portion is in a first lower-frequency band including second frequencies that are less than the first frequencies (“the standard speaker 1506 can be responsible for the low frequency sector” in [0236]).
Cheung fails to show a noise canceller for the embodiment as shown in Fig. 25. However, Cheung teaches that the audio system could be placed in a vehicle ([0324]-[0325], [0327]-[0328]) with multiple users ([0337]); wherein multiple users could have corresponding personalized audio zones with selected audio content and each user has dedicated directional speaker(s) to provide controlled beam which would provide privacy and sound isolation ([0340]). By using ultrasonic speaker for high frequency portion, one skilled in the art would have expected that the high frequency portion would be directed to the user only (e.g., driver, or the claimed “first listener”), that is, no leakage to another zone occupied by another user (e.g., the passenger next to the driver, or the claimed “second listener”). On the other hand, one skilled in the art would have expected that the sound from the standard speaker for low frequency portion would be less directional and might be scattered to a wider area, such as leaking to another area (such as from the driver area leaked to the area next to the driver). Cheung further suggests general active noise control for reducing general noise surrounding the user ([0281]), but fails to explicitly state how to implement ANC for an environment with multiple users. MacNeille is cited to teach an active noise control for reducing the noise caused by the audio generated for one zone (e.g., zone B in Fig. 1) being spilled into another zone (e.g., for zone A) in a vehicle (e.g., Fig. 1). The noise cancellation is based on the detected microphone signal (116s) being processed (by 118) to generate anti-phase signal (108s; [0026], [0030], [0048]) to be output by a speaker (18; see Fig. 2). Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Cheung in view of MacNeille by using a noise canceller to attenuate noise, which is a lower frequency portion of the audio signal generated by a standard speaker not intended for the user, caused by the generated low frequency portion of a second audio signal intended for a different user in order to provide the user with a listening zone that has the high frequency audio portion being directed to the user using ultrasonic speaker while the sound leaked from another passenger’s zone is being minimized.
The claimed “a second audio signal intended for a second listener” reads on the audio content intended for another user (e.g., the passenger next to the driver, or the claimed “second listener”). With the modification of Cheung in view of MacNeille as discussed above, the claimed “a noise canceller device configured to at least attenuate a second audio signal intended for a second listener” is met when the noise cancellation device (based on ANC) for the user (e.g., the driver, or the claimed first listener) generates the antinoise to attenuate a second audio signal intended to the second listener (e.g., the passenger next to the driver, or the claimed second listener). Cheung teaches that all passengers in the vehicle are free to select audio content, such as from CD or radio ([0335], [0337], [0340]; e.g.), which inherently includes a corresponding frequency range that could be different from one audio content to another. The claimed “the second audio signal is in a second lower-frequency band including third frequencies that are less than the first frequencies, the second lower-frequency band partially overlapping with the first lower-frequency band” reads on a scenario when the user (e.g., the driver, or the claimed first listener) selects an audio content (e.g., first audio content) for playback with a frequency range different from the audio content (e.g., second audio content) for the second listener (e.g., the passenger next to the driver), specifically the frequency ranges of the first audio content and the second audio content partially overlap and the second audio content has a lower frequency content than the lowest frequency of the first audio content and the second audio content has a portion of lower frequency content in the same range as the first lower-frequency band.
Cheung also fails to show an ultrasonic speaker to transmit a demodulating ultrasonic signal directed toward the focal point. Cheung teaches a general ultrasonic speaker directing toward an user ([0233]). One skilled in the art would have expected that any well known design for providing the ultrasonic signal at the focal point could be used without generating any unexpected result. In the same field of endeavor, Baym also teaches providing acoustic sound to user’s ear (reads on claimed focal point) by transmitting ultrasonic signal (see Figs. 19-22). As illustrated in Fig. 19, for example, with a first speaker (e.g., 30) transmitting an ultrasonic signal (32) and an ultrasonic speaker (34) transmitting a demodulating ultrasonic signal (36) being separate from the ultrasonic signal (32), the ultrasonic signal (32) and the demodulating ultrasonic signal (36) being mixed and causes the audio signal to be reproduced (“…various ultrasonic signals interacting with …, each other, or objects such as a target listener to produce a down-conversion of acoustic audio signals to be heard by one or more target listeners.” In” [0105]). Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the combination of Cheung and MacNeille by incorporating the combination of a first speaker and an parametric speaker for controlling the focal point as taught in Baym in order to be able to provide precise control of the focal point (by demodulation of multiple ultrasonic waves proximate to the focal point) to be near the user’s ear and enhance sound isolation (Cheung, [0340]) by limiting an audio signal toward a focal point relative to the user and to prevent audio signal in the focal point from leaking outside of the focal point.
Regarding claim 2, Cheung teaches that the first speaker is an ultrasonic directional speaker ([0236]), and wherein the second speaker is a non-directional speaker ([0236], a standard speaker is a non-directional speaker comparing with the speaker 1504).
Regarding claim 3, Cheung teaches that the second speaker is a low-frequency speaker (reads on speaker 1506 generating low frequency portion; [0236]).
Regarding claim 6, the combination of Cheung and MacNeille meets the claimed invention. MacNeille teaches a microphone (coupled to the input of 118 in Fig. 2; or 22 in [0030]), a processing element (118) and a third speaker (18).
Regarding claim 24, with the combination of Cheung, MacNeille and Baym as discussed above, the claimed feature is met. The first speaker is taught in Cheung, the ultrasonic speaker is taught in Baym (see Fig. 19 of Baym that a first speaker 30 is different from ultrasonic speaker 34) and the third speaker is taught in MacNeille. The third speaker, an acoustic speaker or an ordinary speaker, generates an anti-phase audio signal which is in lower-frequency band, while the first speaker (being also an ultrasonic speaker) and the ultrasonic speaker have different physical structure from the third speaker (an ordinary speaker), furthermore, first speaker and the ultrasonic speaker generate signal in ultrasonic frequency range while the third speaker does not.
Regarding claim 7, Cheung teaches a crossover device (1501; [0240]) to divide the first audio signal into the first portion and the second portion.
Regarding claim 8, Cheung teaches an ultrasonic generator to generate the ultrasonic signal by modulating (by “X” in Fig. 25) an ultrasonic carrier signal (u(t)) by the first portion of the first audio signal.
Claims 10, 12, 13 and 15-17 are met by the combination of Cheung and MacNeille as discussed above with respect to claims 1-3 and 6-8.
Regarding claim 11, Cheung teaches speaker being mounted on the headrest ([0340]).
Claims 18-20 are met by the combination of Cheung and MacNeille as discussed above with respect to claims 1 and 2. You teaches a third speaker ([0119], [0124], [0137], e.g.).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1, 10 and 18 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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/PING LEE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2695