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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Examiner’s Comments
The nonfinal rejection filed 7-14-2025 has been vacated and a new nonfinal office action has been issued.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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)(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.
Claim(s) 1-20,23 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Stahlmann et al (US 20210005211 A1).
As per claim 1, Stahlman discloses an apparatus, for-processing at least two audio-signals and associated metadata;
the apparatus configured to comprising:
at least one processor; and at least one non-transitory memory storing instructions that, when executed with the at least one processor (the system of fig 1 requires at least one processor and memory and software in order to implement the disclosed functions), cause the apparatus at least to:
obtain [[the]] at least two audio signals (160 and 162 in fig. 1a,
the at least two audio signals comprising at least one audio object portion 160 and at least one non-audio object portion 162
obtain [[the]] metadata associated with the at least two audio signals, wherein the associated metadata is configured to define at least one audio object position and at least one audio object energy proportion (para 71 position related metadata, and para. 57, the dB domain representation of the peak values, noting the dB is a representation of an energy ratio/proportion);
obtain object position control information (the information to implement stage 108);
determine mixing information based on the object position control informations the at least one audio object positions and at least one audio object energy proportion (either of 106 and 112) ; and
process the at least two audio signals based on the mixing information (processing of fig. 1a),
wherein the processing is configured to enable the at least one object portion of a first of the at least two audio signals to be at least partially moved to a second of the at least two audio signals (the object positions via stage 104 and response by stages 106 and 112 can change over time, each of which causes a change in which portions of each signals are sent from each of 104 and 106/112, for example if a source moves from left to right, the source will shift/be partially moved between the output speakers of the rendered signal).
As per claim 2, the apparatus as claimed in claim 1,
wherein the object position control information comprises a modified position of the at least one audio object (noting all of the speaker configurations in para 66, where any of them comprises object position control information to be used with the position information in order to render the signals at stage 108), and
The determined mixing information is further based on the at least one audio object position at least one audio object energy proportion, and the modified position of the at least one audio object (as cited above in this and the claim 1 rejection ).
As per claim 3, the apparatus as wherein the instructions, when executed with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to
determine at least one first mixing value based on the at least two audio signals, the object position control information [[and]] the at least one audio object positions and at least one audio object energy proportion (the object position control information [[and]] the at least one audio object positions and at least one audio object energy proportion as cited above are each used in fig. 1a where each individual channel output per 66 requires a respective mixing parameter which designates relative loudness of each audio source being rendered on each channel in order to implement the desired position per the object/source position and in view of the rendered configuration per para 66 ) .
As per claim 4, the apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the instructions, when executed with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to process the at least two audio signals based on the at least one first mixing value ((per the claim 3 rejection each channel of the formats cited for signal per para 66 require respective mixing parameters which affect processing on the audio sources in order to produce the desired audio in the desired format, for a desired source, at a position).
As per claim 5, the apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the instructions, when executed with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to determine at least one second mixing value based on the processed at least two audio signals, the object position control information [and]]s the at least one audio object positions and at least one audio object energy proportion (each output channel has at least one respective mixing parameter used to implement the function of stage 108).
As per claim 6, The apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the instructions, when executed with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to determine at least one second mixing value based on the at least two audio signals, the at least one first mixing value, the object position control information [[and]]s the at least one audio object positions and at least one audio object energy proportion (per any of the multichannel formats in para 66, each given set of parameters is used to create mixing parameters respective to each channel, including a first and second).
As per claim 7,
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The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to process the at least two audio signals to:
generate a new first of the at least two audio signals based on combination of a first mixing information value applied to the first of the at least two audio signals and a second mixing information value applied to the second of the at least two audio signals (the amount of each source that is synthesized into each of the channels of the outputs 108/116); and
generate a new second of the at least two audio signals based on a third mixing information value applied to the second of the at least two audio signals (any of the 2,3 or more channel formats as per para 66 as output from stage 108).
As per claim 8, the apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to process the at least two audio signals to:
generate a new first of the at least two audio signals based on combination of a first mixing information value applied to the first of the at least two audio signals and a second mixing information value applied to the second of the at least two audio signals (the mixing rule as applied to each source in order to produce each output channel per para 66); and
generate a new second of the at least two channels based on combination of a third mixing information value applied to the first of the at least two audio signals and a fourth mixing information value applied to the second of the at least two audio signals (each output channels per the claim 7 rejection, comprises 196 and 112, with multiple sequential frames of data/third and fourth mixing values as applied to create the output channels for 116).
As per claim 9, the apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to process the at least two audio signals such that
the at least one non-audio object portion of the first of the at least two audio signals is not substantially moved (per the processing of the position-less audio per para 32).
As per claim 10, the apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the at least one non-audio object portion of the first of the at least two audio signals is not substantially moved (per the claim 9 rejection) and
wherein the instructions, when executed with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to determine energetic moving and preserving values based on remainder energy values (stages 106 and 112, the remained energy values above the threshold/limits used to implement either or both of 106 and 112).
As per claim 11, the apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the instructions, when executed with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to determine the remainder energy values based on at least one of:
normalised object energy values determined from the at least two audio signals (para. 39 the normalization parameters);
or
energy values within the associated metadata (not mapped).
As per claim 12, the apparatus as claimed in claim 1,wherein the at least two audio signals are at least two transport audio signals (the signals at stage 201 are transporting the audio from the microphones).
As per claim 13, the apparatus as claimed in claim 1,wherein the instructions, when executed with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus is configured to perform at least one of:
obtain information defining the at least one audio object position, wherein at least one audio object energy proportion associated with the at least one audio object position can be determined based on at least one further audio object energy proportion;
obtain at least one parameter value defining the at least one audio object position and at least one audio object energy proportion, wherein at least one audio object energy proportion associated with the at least one audio object position can be determined based on at least one further audio object energy proportion;
receive information defining the at least one audio object position and at least one audio object energy proportion associated with the at least one object;
[[and]]or
receive at least one parameter value defining the at least one audio object position and at least one audio object energy proportion associated with the at least one object. (the position and ratio parameters for an audio source as per the claim 1 rejection).
As per claim 14, the apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least two audio signals comprise at least two channels of a spatial audio signal (para. 68: concurrent main and associate programs, consecutive programs, etc. Example input audio elements include but are not limited to: one or more audio objects, feeds, tracks, channel data, etc).
As per claim 15, a method comprising:
obtaining [[the]] at least two audio signals, the at least two audio signals comprising at least one audio object portion and at least one non-audio object portion;
obtaining [[the]] metadata associated metadata with the at least two audio signals, wherein the associated metadata is configured to define at least one audio object position and at least one audio object energy proportion;
obtaining object position control information;
determining mixing information based on the object position control information1 [[and]] the at least one audio object position and at least one audio object energy proportion; and
processing the at least two audio signals based on the mixing information, wherein the processing enables the at least one object portion of a first of the at least two audio signals to be at least partially moved to a second of the at least two audio signals.
(per the claim 1 rejection)
As per claim 16, the method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the object position control information comprises a modified position of the at least one audio object, and determining the mixing information comprises determining the mixing information based on the at least one audio object position and at least one audio object energy proportion and the modified position of the at least one audio object (per claim 2 rejection).
As per claim 17, the method as claimed in claim 15,wherein determining the mixing information comprises determining at least one first mixing value based on the at least two audio signals, the object position control information [[and]] the at least one audio object position1 and at least one audio object energy proportion. (per claim 3 rejection).
As per claim 18, the method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the method further comprises processing the at least two audio signals based on the at least one first mixing value. (per claim 4 rejection).
As per claim 19, the method as claimed in claim 18, wherein determining the mixing information comprises determining at least one second mixing value based on the processed at least two audio signals, the object position control information [[and]]s the at least one audio object positions and at least one audio object energy proportion (per claim 5 rejection).
As per claim 20, the method as claimed in claim 17, wherein determining the mixing information comprises determining at least one second mixing value based on the at least two audio signals, the at least one first mixing value, the object position control information [[and]]s the at least one audio object positions and at least one audio object energy proportion (claim 6 rejection).
21-22. (Cancelled)
As per claim 23, the system of the claim 1 rejection requires a non-transitory program storage device readable with an apparatus, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable with the apparatus for performing the method of claim 15 for the purpose of implementing the cited functions.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALEXANDER KRZYSTAN whose telephone number is 571-272-7498, and whose email address is alexander.krzystan@uspto.gov
The examiner can usually be reached on m-f 7:30-4:00 est.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone or email are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Fan Tsang can be reached on (571) 272-7547.
The fax phone numbers for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned are 571-273-8300 for regular communications and 571-273-8300 for After Final communications.
/ALEXANDER KRZYSTAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2653 Examiner Alexander Krzystan
November 4, 2025