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. Information Disclosure Statement T he PG pub should not be list in same group with the Patent because the form should provide two separate groups. U. S. patent and U.S. Patent Application Publication should be provided in two separate groups . Specification The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 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. Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite. Claim 4 recites a plurality of electrical signals generated in response to a user-generated sensor signal but does not specify: How the signals are differentiated, w hich signals correspond to which actuators, or w hether the mapping is one-to-one or otherwise. This lack of clarity renders the scope of the claimed control scheme uncertain. Applicant is required to amend the claims to clarify the structure and relationships among the recited elements and to distinctly define the scope of the invention. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 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. Claim s 1 - 1 8 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Meisel (US 20010000569 A1) , hereinafter Meisel in view of Fujiwara ( EP1471497) ), hereinafter Fujiwara . Regarding claim 1 , Meisel discloses ‘ An acoustic piano ( ¶[0075], “an acoustic keyboard instrument, such as a piano” , teaches a piano including strings for producing sound ) comprising: strings ( ¶ [0082] “the strings” ) ; a plurality of keys operable to actuate the strings to cause the acoustic piano to emit an audible output ( ¶[0074]: “movement of the rear end… of the key… produces a sound” , keys actuating strings to generate audible output ); a plurality of mechanical control members movable relative to the strings ( ¶[0074]: “movement of the rear end… of the key… produces a sound ” , hammer constitutes a mechanical control member interacting with the strings ) ; a foot pedal mechanism kinematically connected ( ¶[0143], “moved… via a linkage mechanism” , teaches kinematic linkage between pedal and control members ) to the plurality of mechanical control members ( ¶[0079]: “when the coil… is energized… pull the key downwardly” , coil is an electromechanical actuator causing movement of a mechanical member ) , the foot pedal mechanism comprising a foot pedal configured to be manipulated to modulate an attribute of the audible output ( ¶[0143]: “pedals… lifting all the dampers allowing… strings to resonate… adjust the key action such that the loudness… ” , pedal modifies sustain/loudness—i.e., modulates an attribute of the audible output ) ; at least one electromechanical actuator configured to be driven ( ¶[0085]: “solenoid… engages… key… when energized… actuating the key action” , teaches actuator-driven movement of piano mechanism ) to move at least one mechanical control member of the plurality of mechanical control members to modulate the attribute ( ¶[0079]: “when the coil… is energized… pull the key downwardly”, coil is an electromechanical actuator causing movement of a mechanical member ) ; Meisel teaches a sensor and a controller connected to electromechanical actuator based on the detected interaction ( ¶[ sensors could detect motion of the keys causing an actuator to directly actuate the hammers” , sensor for controlling the actuator ) . However, Meisel does not explicitly disclose ‘ and a controller operably connected to the at least one electromechanical actuator, wherein the controller is configured to receive a user-generated sensor signal and, in response to the user- generated sensor signal, generate at least one electrical signal to drive the at least one electromechanical actuator and thereby move the at least one mechanical control member to modulate the attribute. Fujiwara discloses ‘ and a controller operably connected to the at least one electromechanical actuator ( ¶[003 9 ] “ controller 100 energizes the combined structures 17 with the driving signal, magnetic field is created, and the magnetic force is exerted on the plungers 15. Then, the plungers 15 upwardly project ” , a controller ( CPU ¶40 ) is configured to control operation of actuators ) , wherein the controller is configured to receive a user-generated sensor signal (¶[002 6 ], “ the sensors converts the motion of the predetermined component parts to the detecting signals ” , sensors detect movement and generate signals representative of the movement ) and, in response to the user- generated sensor signal, generate at least one electrical signal to drive the at least one electromechanical actuator and thereby move the at least one mechanical control member to modulate the attribute ( ¶[00 27 ] , “ control loops receives the detecting signal from the associated sensor … feedback control loops make the driving signals optimum on the basis of the true physical quantity so that the actuators force the predetermined component parts to move ” , the controller processes the signals and generates control signals to drive the actuators ) . It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the acoustic piano system of Meisel to include the controller and signal-processing functionality of Fujiwara. Such a modification would have allowed the system to: to enable electronic control of mechanical piano components, to allow alternative user inputs of key/pedal actuation, to improve responsiveness and precision of control, and because integrating sensor-based control systems with actuators was well known and yields predictable results . Regarding claim 2 , Meisel ( in view of Fujiwara ) discloses ‘ The acoustic piano of claim 1 as discussed above. Meisel further discloses ‘ wherein the foot pedal is configured to be manipulated to move the at least one mechanical control member to modulate the attribute (¶[0143], “the lift lever… is moved upwardly by one of the pedals… via a linkage mechanism” , teaches pedal directly moving mechanical control members via linkage ) . Regarding claim 3 , Meisel ( in view of Fujiwara ) discloses ‘ The acoustic piano of claim 1 as discussed above. Meisel further discloses ‘ wherein the at least one mechanical control member comprises a first mechanical control member of the plurality of mechanical control members, and the foot pedal is configured to be manipulated to move a second mechanical control member of the plurality of mechanical control members to modulate the attribute ( ¶[0143], “lifting all the damper underlevers… allowing all the strings to resonate” , pedal affects multiple control members, including multiple dampers ) . Regarding claim 4 , Meisel ( in view of Fujiwara ) discloses ‘ The acoustic piano of claim 3 as discussed above. Meisel does not explicitly disclose ‘ wherein: the at least one electromechanical actuator comprises a plurality of electromechanical actuators, the at least one mechanical control member comprises at least two mechanical control members, the at least one electrical signal comprises a plurality of electrical signals, and the controller is configured to receive the user-generated sensor signal and, in response to the user-generated sensor signal, generate the plurality of electrical signals to drive the plurality of electromechanical actuators and thereby move the at least two mechanical control members to modulate the attribute. However Fujiwara discloses ‘ wherein: the at least one electromechanical actuator comprises a plurality of electromechanical actuators, the at least one mechanical control member comprises at least two mechanical control members, the at least one electrical signal comprises a plurality of electrical signals ( ¶[0035–0040], “ The feedback control loops make the driving signals optimum on the basis of the true physical quantity so that the actuators force ” , teaches control unit generates multiple control signals driving actuators ) , and the controller is configured to receive the user-generated sensor signal and, in response to the user-generated sensor signal, generate the plurality of electrical signals to drive the plurality of electromechanical actuators and thereby move the at least two mechanical control members to modulate the attribute ( ¶[003 9 ] “ controller 100 energizes the combined structures 17 with the driving signal, magnetic field is created, and the magnetic force is exerted on the plungers 15. Then, the plungers 15 upwardly project ” , teaches a controller operably connected to actuators ) . It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to apply multiple actuators to control multiple members to enhance control and responsiveness. Regarding claim 5 , Meisel ( in view of Fujiwara ) discloses ‘ The acoustic piano of claim 1 as discussed above. Fujiwara further discloses ‘ further comprising an external sensor configured to generate the user-generated sensor signal (¶[002 6 ], “ the sensors converts the motion of the predetermined component parts to the detecting signals ” , sensors… detect movement… and generate signals representative of the movement ) . Regarding claim 6 , Meisel ( in view of Fujiwara ) discloses ‘ The acoustic piano of claim 5 as discussed above. Fujiwara further discloses ‘ wherein the external sensor is any one of: a bite sensor, a head tilt sensor, a muscle twitch sensor, an eye tracking sensor, a movement sensor, a sip and puff switch, a pressure sensor, an eye blink sensor, a finger switch, a camera, a proximity sensor, or an audio sensor ( ¶[0039 ], “… hammer sensors 22, key sensors 27” , general disclosure of sensors ) . Claimed sensors (eye tracking, pressure, etc.) are well-known equivalents of input sensors. Substitution of known sensor types for user input is obvious. Regarding claim 7 , Meisel ( in view of Fujiwara ) discloses ‘ The acoustic piano of claim 5 as discussed above. Fujiwara further discloses ‘ wherein the controller is operably connected to the external sensor (¶[ 0040 ] , “central processing unit… receives signals from sensors” , teaches controller connected to sensor inputs ) . Regarding claim 8 , Meisel ( in view of Fujiwara ) discloses ‘ Meisel discloses ‘ The acoustic piano of claim 1 as discussed above. Meisel further discloses ‘ comprising dampers for engaging the strings, wherein the at least one mechanical control member is movable to move the dampers into engagement with the strings ( ¶[0143], “lifting all the dampers… allowing strings to resonate” , teaches damper engagement/disengagement via mechanism ) . Regarding claim 9 , Meisel ( in view of Fujiwara ) discloses ‘ Meisel discloses ‘ The acoustic piano of claim 1 as discussed above. Meisel further discloses ‘ comprising hammers configured to strike the strings in response to operation of the keys, wherein the at least one mechanical control member is a shifter for shifting the hammers relative to the strings ( ¶[0074], “hammer… hits a string, producing a note” , teaches hammer mechanism ) . Regarding claim 10 , Meisel ( in view of Fujiwara ) discloses ‘ The acoustic piano of claim 1, as discussed above. Fujiwara further discloses ‘ wherein the controller is selectively operable in multiple player piano modes ( ¶[0031 ] , “automatic playing system 3 and recording system 5 are installed in the acoustic piano 1, and are selectively activated depending upon the mode of operation” ) . Using d ifferent modes are known in programmable controllers. Regarding claim 11 , Meisel ( in view of Fujiwara ) discloses ‘ The acoustic piano of claim 10, as discussed above. Meisel does not explicitly disclose ‘ wherein the multiple player piano modes comprise a record mode and a playback mode, and the controller is configured to: in the record mode, store data indicative of actuation of the at least one mechanical control member; and in the playback mode, drive the at least one electromechanical actuator to move the at least one mechanical control member b ased on the data. However, Fujiwara wherein the multiple player piano modes comprise a record mode and a playback mode ( ¶[0031 ] , “automatic playing system 3 and recording system 5 are installed in the acoustic piano 1, and are selectively activated depending upon the mode of operation” ) , and the controller is configured to: in the record mode ( page, 8, line 14 “recording mode” ) , store data indicative of actuation of the at least one mechanical control member ( ¶[0051], “When a user instructs the controller 100 to record his or her performance through the manipulating panel 42, 20 the central processing unit 50…central processing unit 50…stores the pieces of music data representative of the key code assigned” , control systems processing signals support storing and replaying signals ) ; and in the playback mode (page, 8, line 55, “playback mode”) , drive the at least one electromechanical actuator to move the at least one mechanical control member based on the data ( ¶[0061], “the central processing unit 50… supplies a piece of control data representative of the initial value… supplies the driving signal to the solenoid 17 of the key actuator… to be moved ”) . It would have been obvious to incorporate the record and playback functionality of Fujiwara into Meisel to enable storage and reproduction of performance data, as Fujiwara teaches recording and playback modes with stored data used to drive actuators (¶[0031], ¶[0051], ¶[0061]), and such functionality represents a known and predictable enhancement to player piano systems. Regarding claim 12 , Meisel ( in view of Fujiwara ) discloses ‘ The acoustic piano of claim 11, as discussed above. Fujiwara further discloses ‘ wherein: the multiple player piano modes further comprise a user play mode (page, 8, line 55, “playback mode”) , in the user play mode, the controller ( ¶[0058], “The central processing unit 50” , control unit controls actuator operation ) is configured to disable the at least one electromechanical actuator, and in the user play mode, the controller is further configured to enable the at least one electromechanical actuator, receive the user-generated sensor signal, and generate the at least one electrical signal to drive the at least one electromechanical actuator ( ¶[0061], “the central processing unit 50 … supplies a piece of control data … to the pulse width modulator 30…produces the driving signal at the given duty ratio, and supplies the driving signal to the solenoid 17 of the key actuator 10 for the black and white key 72/ 74 to be moved” , selective activation corresponds to enabling/disabling modes and user play mode / enable-disable actuator ) . Regarding claim 13 , Meisel ( in view of Fujiwara ) discloses ‘ The acoustic piano of claim 11, as discussed above. Fujiwara further discloses ‘ wherein the controller ( ¶[0052],” a user instructs the controller 100” , controller manages actuator signals ) is configured to, in the record mode ( page, 8, line 14 “recording mode” ) , disable the at least one electromechanical actuator and store the data indicative of the actuation of the at least one mechanical control member ( ¶[0052],“ a user instructs the controller 100 to record his or her performance through the manipulating panel 42, the central processing unit 50 starts to run on the main routine program, and periodically enters the subroutine program for recording the performance” , record mode disables actuator ). Controller controlling actuator signals inherently includes disabling them in record mode of playback systems. Regarding claim 14 , Meisel ( in view of Fujiwara ) discloses ‘ The acoustic piano of claim 11, as discussed above. ¶ Fujiwara further discloses ‘ wherein the data is first data, and the controller ( ¶[0052],” a user instructs the controller 100” , controller manages actuator signals ) is configured to: in a first operation in the record mode ( page, 8, line 14 “recording mode” ) , disable the at least one electromechanical actuator and store the first data indicative of the actuation of the at least one mechanical control member as the foot pedal mechanism is actuated; and in a second operation in the record mode, enable the at least one electromechanical actuator and store second data indicative of actuation of the at least one mechanical control member as the at least one electromechanical actuator is actuated ( ¶[0052],“ a user instructs the controller 100 to record his or her performance through the manipulating panel 42, the central processing unit 50 starts to run on the main routine program, and periodically enters the subroutine program for recording the performance” , record mode disables actuator ) . Multiple operational sequences are predictable extensions of control logic. Regarding claim 15 , Meisel ( in view of Fujiwara ) discloses ‘ The acoustic piano of claim 14, as discussed above. Fujiwara further discloses ‘ wherein the controller is configured to receive the user-generated sensor signal and generate the at least one electrical signal in the second operation in the record mode ( ¶ [0054], “the central processing unit 50 notices the user depress one of the black and white keys 72/ 74, the central processing unit 50 acknowledges a key-on event, and specifies the depressed key 72/ 74” , controller uses sensor signals during recording system mode ) . Regarding claim 16 , Meisel ( in view of Fujiwara ) discloses ‘ The acoustic piano of claim 10, as discussed above. Fujiwara further discloses ‘ wherein the controller is further operable in a user-assist mode in which the at least one electromechanical actuator is enabled ( ¶[003 9 ] “ controller 100 energizes the combined structures 17 with the driving signal, magnetic field is created, and the magnetic force is exerted on the plungers 15. Then, the plungers 15 upwardly project ” , a controller ( CPU ¶40 ) , c ontroller assisting mechanical movement corresponds to user-assist mode controller-driven actuator assistance ) , wherein the controller is configured to, in the user-assist mode, receive the user-generated sensor signa ( ¶[00 27 ] , “ control loops receives the detecting signal from the associated sensor … feedback control loops make the driving signals optimum on the basis of the true physical quantity so that the actuators force the predetermined component parts to move ” , the controller processes the signals and generates control signals to drive the actuators ) l and, in response to the user-generated sensor signal, generate the at least one electrical signal (¶[002 6 ], “ the sensors converts the motion of the predetermined component parts to the detecting signals ” , sensors detect movement and generate signals representative of the movement ) . Regarding claim 17 , Meisel ( in view of Fujiwara ) discloses ‘ The acoustic piano of claim 1 as discussed above. Meisel further discloses ‘ wherein the foot pedal mechanism comprises a linkage kinematically connected to the foot pedal, and wherein the foot pedal is configured to be manipulated to drive the linkage to modulate the attribute ( ¶[0143], “moved… via a linkage mechanism” , teaches linkage disclosure ) . Regarding claim 18 , Meisel ( in view of Fujiwara ) discloses ‘Meisel ( in view of Fujiwara ) discloses ‘ The acoustic piano of claim 1 as discussed above. Meisel does not expressly disclose ‘ wherein the controller is configured to generate the at least one electrical signal to drive the at least one electromechanical actuator and thereby move the at least one mechanical control member without a user input on the foot pedal . However, Fujiwara discloses ‘ wherein the controller is configured to generate the at least one electrical signal to drive the at least one electromechanical actuator and thereby move the at least one mechanical control member without a user input on the foot pedal (Fujiwara , ¶[0039], “ … the key actuators 1 0 are implemented by solenoid operated actuator units. The key actuators 10 are independently energized for moving the associated black and white keys 72/ 74… Each of the solenoid-operated key actuator units 10” , controller-driven actuation independent of user (pedal) input ) . It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to apply the actuation control of Fujiwara acoustic piano system of Meisel (in view of Fujiwara) to improve precision, repeatability and consistency of mechanical control member actuation for reproducing musical performance without pedal input of user. Regarding claim 20 , Meisel discloses ‘ A method for operating an acoustic piano ( [¶0128], “ the rear end 398 of the key 390 will operate a mechanism which causes the striking of a note” ) , the method comprising: receiving, by one or more processing devices of the acoustic piano, a sensor signal indicative of a user action (¶[0127], “ when the keyboard is being played by a player, movement of the key may be sensed by sensing the movement of the piston relative to the coil of the solenoid” , controller circuitry configured to drive solenoid, corresponds to sensor signal ). Meisel does not expressly disclose ‘ and controlling, by the one or more processing devices and in response to the sensor signal, at least one electromechanical actuator of the acoustic piano to move at least one mechanical control member to modulate an attribute of an audible output emitted by the acoustic piano. However, Fujiwara discloses ‘ and controlling ( ¶[003 9 ] “ controller 100 energizes the combined structures 17 with the driving signal, magnetic field is created, and the magnetic force is exerted on the plungers 15. Then, the plungers 15 upwardly project ” , a controller ( CPU ¶40 ) is configured to control operation of actuators ) , by the one or more processing devices and in response to the sensor signal (¶[002 6 ], “ the sensors converts the motion of the predetermined component parts to the detecting signals ” , sensors detect movement and generate signals representative of the movement ) , at least one electromechanical actuator of the acoustic piano to move at least one mechanical control member to modulate an attribute of an audible output emitted by the acoustic piano (¶[002 6 ], “ the sensors converts the motion of the predetermined component parts to the detecting signals ” , sensors detect movement and generate signals representative of the movement ) . It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the acoustic piano sys tem of Meisel with the control members of Fujiwara in response to a sensor signal to modulate sound output to enable sound-modifying components and improve sound modulation . Claim 19 is rejected under 35 U.S.C.103 as unpatentable over Meisel (in view of Fujiwara ) and in further view of Ura ( US 5612502 ), hereinafter Ura. Regarding claim 19 , Meisel discloses ‘ An acoustic piano ( ¶[0075], “an acoustic keyboard instrument, such as a piano” , teaches a piano including strings for producing sound ) comprising: a plurality of keys operable to cause the acoustic piano to emit an audible output ( ¶[0074]: “movement of the rear end… of the key… produces a sound” , keys actuating strings to generate audible output ) ; a foot pedal mechanism comprising a foot pedal configured to be manipulated to modulate an attribute of the audible output ( ¶[0143]: “pedals… lifting all the dampers allowing… strings to resonate… adjust the key action such that the loudness… ” , pedal modifies sustain/loudness—i.e., modulates an attribute of the audible output ) ; Meisel does not explicitly disclose ‘ at least one electromechanical actuator configured to be driven to bypass the foot pedal mechanism to modulate the attribute; and a controller operably connected to the at least one electromechanical actuator, wherein the controller is configured to receive a sensor signal indicative of a user action and, in response to the sensor signal, generate at least one electrical signal to drive the at least one electromechanical actuator and thereby modulate the attribute. However, Fujiwara discloses’ a controller operably connected to the at least one electromechanical actuator, wherein the controller is configured to receive a sensor signal indicative of a user action ( ¶[003 9 ] “ controller 100 energizes the combined structures 17 with the driving signal, magnetic field is created, and the magnetic force is exerted on the plungers 15. Then, the plungers 15 upwardly project ” , a controller ( CPU ¶40 ) is configured to control operation of actuators ) and (¶[002 6 ], “ the sensors converts the motion of the predetermined component parts to the detecting signals ” , sensors detect movement and generate signals representative of the movement ) , in response to the sensor signal, generate at least one electrical signal to drive the at least one electromechanical actuator and thereby modulate the attribute ( ¶[00 27 ] , “ control loops receives the detecting signal from the associated sensor … feedback control loops make the driving signals optimum on the basis of the true physical quantity so that the actuators force the predetermined component parts to move ” , the controller processes the signals and generates control signals to drive the actuators ) . It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the acoustic piano system of Meisel to include the controller and signal-processing functionality of Fujiwara. Such a modification would have allowed the system to: to enable electronic control of mechanical piano components, to allow alternative user inputs of key/pedal actuation, to improve responsiveness and precision of control, and because integrating sensor-based control systems with actuators was well known and yields predictable results. Meisel (in view of Fujiwara) does not explicitly disclose ‘ at least one electromechanical actuator configured to be driven to bypass the foot pedal mechanism to modulate the attribute; However, Ura discloses ‘ at least one electromechanical actuator configured to be driven to bypass the foot pedal mechanism to modulate the attribute ( col. 6, lines 14-18, “the key 101a is assisted with the silent system 300 in the electronic sound mode, and the damper head 105e similarly leaves the string 104. As a result, the load against and the electronic sound mode and the electronic sound mode ”, actuator bypassing pedal is taught by electronic control, the acoustic mechanism is disengaged ) . It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the electromechanical system of Meisel as applied to the mechanical structures Fujiwara , to include the electronic control of Ura to: allow control of sound-modifying functions without reliance on mechanical pedal input and improve responsiveness and sound modulation. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FILLIN "Examiner name" \* MERGEFORMAT NICOLE K GILLESPIE whose telephone number is FILLIN "Phone number" \* MERGEFORMAT (571)482-4187 . The examiner can normally be reached FILLIN "Work Schedule?" \* MERGEFORMAT Monday-Friday 7:30-5pm . Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, FILLIN "SPE Name?" \* MERGEFORMAT Dedei K Hammond can be reached at FILLIN "SPE Phone?" \* MERGEFORMAT (571)270-3819 . The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /N.K.G/ Examiner, Art Unit 2837 /DEDEI K HAMMOND/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2837