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 § 102
2. The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention; or
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
3. Claims 1, 6-8, and 14-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Aoki (US 5403971 A).
Regarding claims 1, 8 and 16, Aoki discloses a signal generation method and system implemented by a computer system, including computer programs encoded on a storage device (Abstract; Fig. 3), the signal generation method comprising: generating an audio signal in response to a manipulation of each of a first key (Fig. 2, with the previously key depression) and a second key (Fig. 2, with the presently depressed key, see also col. 1, line 51 – col. 2, line 3); and controlling generation of the audio signal based on a reference point that is a position of the first key (Fig. 2, where the reference point is the depressed position of the previously depressed key, see col. 3, lines 32-39) at a time point of a manipulation of the second key (col. 2, lines 26-56), based on the second key being manipulated during a manipulation of the first key (col. 6, lines 12-21).
Regarding claim 6, Aoki discloses: wherein the audio signal includes: a first interval representative of a first sound corresponding to the first key, a second interval representative of a second sound corresponding to the second key, and an additional interval representative of an output of additional sound (e.g., pitch/level) between the first and second intervals, and wherein the method further comprises controlling audio characteristics of the additional sound based on the reference point (col. 2, lines 26-56).
Regarding claims 7 and 14, Aoki discloses: wherein a first manipulation period of the first key and a second manipulation period of the second key overlap each other on a time axis (col. 6, lines 12-20).
Regarding claim 15, Aoki discloses an electronic musical instrument comprising: a first key, a second key (Fig. 2), a detection system configured to detect a manipulation of each of the first and second keys (col. 2, lines 34-56); and a signal generation system, wherein the signal generation system includes: at least one memory configured to store instructions, and at least one processor (Fig. 2) configured to implement the instructions to: generate an audio signal in response to a manipulation of each of a first key and a second key; and control generation of the audio signal based on a reference point that is a position of the first key at a time point of a manipulation of the second key, based on the second key being manipulated during a manipulation of the first key (see discussion of claims 1, 8 and 16).
Examiner’s Note
4. While there are related references that discuss generating audio signals in response to user manipulations, the prior art of record does not specifically provide teachings for the particularly claimed limitations including: a first interval representative of a first sound corresponding to the first key; a second interval representative of a second sound corresponding to the second key; and a transition interval between the first and second intervals, in which audio characteristics are transitioned from first audio characteristics of the first sound to second audio characteristics of the second sound, and wherein the method further comprises controlling a time length of the transition interval based on the reference point; wherein: the audio signal includes: a first interval representative of a first sound corresponding to the first key; a second interval representative of a second sound corresponding to the second key; and a transition interval between the first and second intervals, the transition interval being generated using a crossfade of: a first wave signal representative of the first sound; and a second wave signal representative of the second sound, and wherein the method further comprises controlling a time length of the transition interval based on the reference point. It is these limitations, as they are claimed in the combination recited in independent claim 1, 8 or 16, that would make the instant claims 2-5, 9-13 and 17-20 distinguish over the prior art of record.
Contact Information
5. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JIANCHUN QIN whose telephone number is (571)272-5981. The examiner can normally be reached 9AM-5:30PM EST M-F.
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/JIANCHUN QIN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837