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 .
Rejections - 35 USC § 112
2. 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.
3. Claims 1-20 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor, or for pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
Regarding claims 1-20, the recitation of the phrases "an input signal of the musical instrument" renders the claims vague or indefinite. It is unclear whether said "an input signal of the musical instrument” refers to a signal that is inputted into the musical instrument or something else. Therefore, the examiner comprehends the claims based on his best interpretations to these phrases.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
4. 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.
5. Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Chen (US 10218320 B1).
Regarding claim 1, Chen discloses an audio signal management system which allows for a smooth decay of wanted signals from a musical instrument (col. 2, lines 49-55), the system comprising: a main circuit (Fig. 9), the main circuit comprising:
a trigger input (60) operative to measure an input signal of the musical instrument as a measured input signal; and an out measurement (30) operative to measure an output signal of the musical instrument (e.g., the output from 20) as a measured output signal, the output signal being based on the input signal; a simulator circuit (20 in Figs. 4, 5 and 9), the simulator circuit comprising: an adjustable trigger (70) operative to receive a trigger input signal (i.e., the output from the standby detection circuit 60), the trigger input signal being based on the measured input signal (col. 7, lines 12-17), the adjustable trigger being further operative to produce an overdriven signal (col. 7, lines 17-19); a main simulator filter transistor (col. 2, lines 61-63) operative to receive an out signal (e.g., the feedback signal from path 50), the out signal being based on the measured output signal (col. 3, lines 1-4), the main filter transistor being further operative to receive a processed simulator signal, the processed simulator signal being based on the overdriven signal (col. 5, lines 19-26), the main filter transistor being further operative to produce a simulator pre-attenuation signal (col. 3, lines 14-19); and a simulator attenuation circuit (e.g., the CR-type equalizer circuit) operative to receive the simulator pre-attenuation signal (col. 3, lines 28-33).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
6. 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 of this title, 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.
7. Claim 20 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen in view of Rosenberg et al. (US 11711058 B1).
Regarding claim 20, Chen discloses a method of creating a smooth decay of wanted signals from a musical instrument, the method comprising the steps of: measuring an input signal of a musical instrument as a measured input signal, measuring an output signal of a musical instrument as a measured output signal, the output signal being based on the input signal, producing an overdriven signal in response to a break in playing the musical instrument via an adjustable trigger receiving a trigger input signal and producing the overdriven signal, the trigger input signal being based on the measured input signal, processing the overdriven signal to produce a processed simulator signal, and creating a decay effect via at least one simulator transistor (e.g., the CR-type equalizer circuit) receiving an out signal and the processed simulator signal and producing a simulator pre-attenuation signal, followed by at least one attenuation circuit receiving the pre-attenuation signal, wherein the out signal is based on the measured output signal (See discussion for claim 1 above).
Chen is silent on: wherein the simulator transistor is an N channel JEFT that receives the out signal at the drain terminal, and the processed simulator signal at the gate terminal.
Rosenberg discloses a pre-amplification conditioning circuit (Abstract) comprising an N channel JEFT that receives an out signal at the drain terminal, and a processed simulator signal at the gate terminal, wherein the N channel JEFT creates a decay effect (col. 2, lines 6-33).
It would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate Rosenberg’s teaching of N channel JEFT into Chen’s simulator transistor to arrive the claimed invention. One of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that the results of such a combination were predictable by providing a simple, high-impedance transistor that uses gate voltage to control electron flow in an N-type channel, making it ideal for analog and low-noise applications. The mere application of a known technique to a specific instance by those skilled in the art would have been obvious.
Contact Information
8. 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.
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, Dedei Hammond can be reached on (571)270-7938. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JIANCHUN QIN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
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