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 .
Minor discrepancy in the claim amendment.
Claims 12 and 16-18 are amended, the indicator shows “original”. Please make correction at the next Response.
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) 11-12, 16-18 and 21-30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as anticipated by or, in the alternative, under 35 U.S.C. 103 as obvious over Lehtiniemi et al (US 2018/0203663) in view of Seligman et al (US 2019/0121516) and further in view of Arnao et al (US 2012/0050456).
Claims 11, 21 and 26, Lehtiniemi teaches a medium, a system and a method, comprising:
receiving, at a computerized system of a participant of a virtual three dimensional (3D) conference call in a virtual environment, first sound information (Lehtiniemi provides a communication environment where each device/apparatus can communicate with other devices/apparatuses, [0220]. Please see the secondary reference Seligmann for detailed/explicit teaching on 3D conference call in a virtual environment). While Lehtiniemi teaches, via fig. 2a, multiple sound sources 201, 203, 205 are exhibited within the communication environment, [0169] which clearly point out first and second sound sources at specific location relevant to the claim requirement that is “comprising consolidated sound information for a first sound source and a second sound source, wherein first second sound source is located at a first location in the virtual environment, the second sound source is located at a second location in the virtual environment, and the sound information is allocated to a shared location in the virtual environment”. Lehtiniemi does not teach “consolidated sound information”, Arnao teaches the feature via Fig. 5, where multiple sound sources are combined/synchronized/mixed from multiple locations, [0037-0043];
and
generating by the computerized system, a sound representation of the virtual 3D conference call in the virtual environment, based on the sound information and the shared location. (Lehtiniemi: See Figs. 2a-2d, [0169-0171]. Arnao: Fig. 5, step 126, Finally, in step 126, this combined audio/video signal can be played for an audience, for the performers that generated the music, for any subset or combination of these individuals, or simply stored for later review, [0038]).
Regarding “3D conference call” as specifically required by the current claimed invention, Lehtiniemi does not use the term “conference”. He teaches a communication environment where various communication devices/apparatus can communicate with one another as Lehtiniemi indicated in [0219-0222]. The description in Lehtiniemi does suggest, at least by obviousness, the system is applicable to the conference call. To support this obviousness.
Seligmann, in the same field of invention, teaches a video conferencing system where participants can navigate within the combined three-dimensional audio/video space based primary on audio aspect of different sound sources, see abstract, [0006, 0014-0015, 0100-0106]. In a bit more detail user 302 can also navigate the three-dimensional sound space 300 by making gestures and/or navigating a graphical representation of the three-dimensional sound space 300. For example, the user 302 can navigate to the sound source 304C by making a gesture indicating that the user 302 wants to navigate to the sound source 304C, and/or selecting a representation of the sound source 304C on a graphical user interface. Moreover, the navigation of the three-dimensional sound space 300 can be recorded, shared, and/or edited, [0054, 0056, 0079, 0081, 0095, 0100]).
It would have been obvious to the ordinary artisan before the effective filing date to slightly modify the teaching of Lehtiniemi to include the teaching of Seligmann to explicitly utilizing the three-dimensional audio/video for video conferencing environment for greater collaboration or any type of other interactive, collaborative communication session, i.e., classroom environment and also to include the teaching of Arnao for the purpose of generating a combined/consolidated/mixed signals (audio and/or video) from different sources where the combined audio signal can reflect a synchronization of the different signals and render to an end user to enhance the communication.
Claims 12, 22 and 27, further comprising: receiving second sound information for a third sound source located at a third location in the virtual environment; and further generating the sound representation of the virtual 3D conference call based on the second sound information and third location (See the independent claims, specifically on Arnao’s Figs. 2 and 3 ).
Claims 16, 23 and 28, wherein the third sound source is closer to the participant in relation to the first sound source and the second sound source[[s]]. (See Arnao’s Fig. 1 where the third source from Raleigh, NC is closer to the audience, [0037-0038]. Also (Seligmann: Fig. 6, [0068-0062]: one source is more focus. The other will fadeout and/or dim).
Claims 17, 24 and 29, wherein the third computerized device of the participant, wherein the first sound source and the second sound source[[s]] do not belong to the same sub-group of sound sources as the computerized device of the participant. (Also see Arnao’s Fig. 5 where Philadelphia source and San Jose source are independent from one another. Als see (Seligmann: [0103] Additionally or alternatively, audio from each of the conference participants can be located in the combined three-dimensional audio/visual space 850 as sound sources at different locations that each participant can navigate towards or away from. For example, board members may be on a conference as sound sources in the chairman's combined three-dimensional audio/visual space 850. The vice president may be located in a position in the combined three-dimensional audio/visual space 850 while accountants, lawyers, engineers, etc. can be located in other predefined positions in the combined three-dimensional audio/visual space 850 so that it is familiar. Then, if one of the participants wants to talk to the engineers, she can move in that direction and know that this is the location of the engineering representative(s) in the conference. Here examiner reads that chairman and vice president belong to the same group in a location WHILE accountants, lawyers, engineers are in the same group in a different location).
Claims 18, 25 and 30, wherein the sub-group of sound [[re]]sources are generated by clustering of sound sources based on location. (See Arnao’s Fig. 5 where each source sources/nodes are location-based specifics. Also see Seligmann: In some cases, attributes of the sound sources can be used to influence or change the acoustic properties of the sound delivered. This enables items to be clustered together and still be acoustically distinguishable. For example, any one or more of pitch, amplitude, frequency, speed, loudness, echo, bass, treble, or any other acoustic property can be used as a basis of transforming or adjusting the audio of a sound source. In some cases, attributes can be converted into acoustic properties for rendering in the three-dimensional sound space, [0108]; The sound sources can then be grouped 925 based on the one or more attributes of the collected information. That is, sound sources can be identified as related, similar, or relevant to one another based on related or common attributes. Such related, similar, or mutually relevant sound sources can be assigned to groups which can be presented in the combined three-dimensional audio/visual space together, [0109-0111]).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 3/19/26 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.
Applicant argues, “in rejecting the claims, the Examiner relied on Lehtiniemi or Di Censo as teaching the claimed sound information and sound sources. See Office Action at p. 2. Specifically, regarding Lehtiniemi, the Examiner cited to Figure 2a as disclosing the sound information. Generally, Lehtiniemi is directed to distributed audio capture and mixing control. With respect to sound sources, Lehtiniemi teaches capturing audio from multiple sources using external microphones and mixing those audio signals with spatial audio from a microphone array. See Lehtiniemi at Abstract, [0074]-[0076]. Figure 2a of Lehtiniemi, cited by the Examiner, illustrates multiple sound sources 201, 203, and 205 that are "automatically recognized" within a communication environment. See id. at [0169]. These sound sources correspond to individual audio capture devices (e.g., external microphones) that each capture audio from a respective source. See id. at [0100]-[0105]. Lehtiniemi tracks the position of each individual sound source using positioning tags and renders the audio from each source based on its individual tracked location. See id. at [0117]-[0125].
Turning to the claims, claim 11 describes the sound information "comprising consolidated sound information for a first sound source and a second sound source." By contrast, Lehtiniemi does not consolidate multiple sound sources. Rather, in Lehtiniemi, each sound source is treated as a discrete sound element. The distinction is further made clear when considering that nothing in Lehtiniemi describes consolidating sounds from a first location and a second location.
Regarding Di Censo, the Examiner relies on Figures 7A-7D as disclosing the sound information. Generally, Di Censo is directed to directional sound modification. Figures 7A-7D of Di Censo, cited by the Examiner, illustrate sound sources 706-1, 706-2, 706-3, 706-4, 708-1, 708-2, and 708-3 within an environment. See id. at [0074]. Di Censo identifies and tracks these sound sources based on their individual locations within the environment and selects directions corresponding to certain sound sources for modification. See id. at [0078]-[0085]. However, Di Censo treats each sound source as a discrete element at its own physical location and is completely silent regarding receiving consolidated sound information from a first and second sound source.
For at least the reasons described above, the cited art fails to disclose each and every feature of claim 11. Thus, claim 11 is allowable over the cited art. Claims 21 and 26 include similar limitations and, thus, are also allowable for similar reasons. The remaining claims depend, directly or indirectly, from claims 11, 21, and 26 and, thus, are allowable at least by virtue of their dependence from allowable independent claims. Withdrawal of the rejection is respectfully requested.
Examiner respectfully disagrees as examine has dropped Di Censo from the rejection and provided new reference (Arnao) to support the amendment.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PHUNG-HOANG J. NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)270-1949. The examiner can normally be reached Reg. Sched. 6:00-3:00.
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/PHUNG-HOANG J NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2691
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