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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 12/29/25 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues that Beckhardt et al. do not teach if the first NMD receives, during the delay time, an arbitration message indicating that the second NMD will respond to the voice input, refrain from transmitting the arbitration message indicating that first NMD will respond to the voice input; or if the first NMD does not receive, during the delay time, an arbitration message indicating that the second NMD will respond to the voice input, (i) transmit the arbitration message to the second NMD indicating that the first NMD will respond to the voice input, and (ii) respond to the voice input (Amendment, pages 9 – 11).
The examiner disagrees, since Beckhardt et al. disclose the NMD may send the arbitration message to other NMDs coupled to communication means 546, e.g., in a household. At 1006, a determination may be made that no message associated with detection of the first input by another NMD is received in the time interval. For example, the NMD may determine that it received no arbitration message from any other NMDs on the communication means 546. At 1008, based on the determination that no message is received, a second voice input may be sent to one or more of computing devices 504-508, e.g., server. The second voice input may be a voice command that the NMD received and which followed the voice input in the form of the wakeword. The server may send a response to the second voice input. For example, the NMD which sent the second voice input may receive the response to the second voice input. The response may be a voice response to a request for information which is played by the NMD or other network device (paragraphs 128, 129).
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.
Claims 1 – 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Beckhardt et al. (US PAP 2019/0074008).
As per claims 1, 9, 17, Beckhardt et al. teach a first network microphone device (NMD) comprising:
at least one microphone (abstract);
at least one processor (paragraph 30);
a non-transitory computer-readable medium; and program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable medium that are executable by the at least one processor such that the first NMD is configured to (paragraphs 37, 98):
detect, via the at least one microphone, a wake word included in a voice input; transmit, to a second NMD, an indication that the first NMD detected the wake word; receive, from the second NMD, an indication that the second NMD detected the wake word; begin processing the voice input to thereby determine a response to the voice input (“The arbitration message may include one or more of the identifier of the wakeword which was received by the NMD, the measure of confidence of how well the wakeword was detected, and the time interval. Each of the other NMDs that detected the wakeword may send a similar arbitration message associated with detection of the wakeword to other NMDs.”; paragraphs 21 – 29);
determine a delay time for transmitting an arbitration message, the arbitration message indicating that the first NMD will respond to the voice input (“The time interval may be selected to balance needs of providing enough time to complete the arbitration described in more detail below and addressing latency concerns.”; paragraphs 21 – 29, 131 - 133); and
if the first NMD receives, during the delay time, an arbitration message indicating that the second NMD will respond to the voice input, refrain from transmitting the arbitration message indicating that first NMD will respond to the voice input; or if the first NMD does not receive, during the delay time, an arbitration message indicating that the second NMD will respond to the voice input, (i) transmit the arbitration message to the second NMD indicating that the first NMD will respond to the voice input, and (ii) respond to the voice input (“arbitration may be performed by a centralized device rather than being performed locally at each NMD. The centralized device may be a designated NMD or other network device on a local area network. The centralized device may be arranged to determine which NMD of one or more NMDs which detected a wakeword should send the voice command following the wakeword to the cloud-based computing device. In this regard, the centralized device may receive an arbitration message from the one or more NMDs and identify based on the measure of confidence associated with the arbitration message which NMD should send its received voice command to the cloud-based computing device… the NMD may determine that it received no arbitration message from any other NMDs on the communication means 546. At 1008, based on the determination that no message is received, a second voice input may be sent to one or more of computing devices 504-508, e.g., server.”; paragraphs 21 – 29, 100 – 116, claims 1, 5, 6, see also paragraphs 128, 129).
As per claims 2, 10, 18, Beckhardt et al. further disclose if the first NMD receives, during the delay time, an arbitration message indicating that the second NMD will respond to the voice input, terminate voice processing of the voice input by the first NMD (paragraphs 21 – 29, 131 - 139).
As per claims 3, 11, Beckhardt et al. further disclose the program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the first NMD is configured to determine the delay time comprise program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the first NMD is configured to: determine a reference point from which the delay time begins counting, wherein the reference point comprises a timestamp at which the delay time is determined (paragraphs 21 – 29, 131 - 139).
As per claims 4, 12, Beckhardt et al. further disclose the program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the first NMD is configured to determine the delay time comprise program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the first NMD is configured to: determine a reference point from which the delay time begins counting, wherein the reference point comprises a timestamp at which the first NMD detected the wake word (paragraphs 21 – 29, 131 - 139).
As per claims 5, 13, Beckhardt et al. further disclose program instructions stored on the non- transitory computer-readable medium that are executable by the at least one processor such that the first NMD is configured to: transmit, to a third NMD, an indication that the first NMD detected the wake word; receive, from the third NMD, an indication that the second NMD detected the wake word; wherein the program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the first NMD is configured to, if the first NMD receives, during the delay time, an arbitration message indicating that the second NMD will respond to the voice input, refrain from transmitting the arbitration message comprise program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the first NMD is configured to, if the first NMD receives, during the delay time, an arbitration message indicating that the third NMD will respond to the voice input, refrain from transmitting the arbitration message; and
wherein the program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the first NMD is configured to, if the first NMD does not receive, during the delay time, an arbitration message indicating that the second NMD will respond to the voice input, transmit the arbitration message to the second NMD indicating that the first NMD will respond to the voice input comprise program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the first NMD is configured to, if the first NMD does not receive, during the delay time, an arbitration message indicating that the third NMD will respond to the voice input, transmit the arbitration message to the third NMD indicating that the first NMD will respond to the voice input (“If the NMD wins the arbitration, then processing may return to 1104. If the NMD loses the arbitration, then at 1108, the arbitration may terminate. The audio played back by the NMD may have been adjusted, e.g., ducked or paused, when a wakeword was detected so as to better receive the voice command which follows the wakeword. If the NMD loses the arbitration, then the NMD may adjust the audio back to where the audio was before the wakeword was detected and the audio was adjusted. For example, if the audio was paused, the audio may be unpaused, e.g., audio playback may continue from where it was stopped. For example, if the audio was ducked, then the audio may be unducked, e.g., the volume of the audio may be increased. For example, if the audio was ducked, the audio may be returned to a point in the audio prior to ducking. The NMD may store a position in the audio, e.g., time stamp, where the audio is ducked. Upon losing the arbitration, the audio may begin playback at the position in the audio, e.g., timestamp, where the audio was ducked. Other arrangements are also possible.”; paragraphs 131 - 139).
As per claims 6, 14, 19, Beckhardt et al. further disclose the first NMD and the second NMD are members of a media playback system comprising at least one other NMD, and wherein the program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the first NMD is configured to transmit, to the second NMD, an indication that the first NMD detected the wake word comprise program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the first NMD is configured to transmit, to each other NMD in the media playback system, an indication that the first NMD detected the wake word (paragraphs 103 – 116; 131 - 139).
As per claims 7, 15, 20, Beckhardt et al. further disclose the first NMD is configured to detect at least two different wake words associated with two respective voice assistant services, and wherein the program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the first NMD is configured to transmit, to the second NMD, the indication that the first NMD detected the wake word comprise program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the first NMD is configured to transmit, to the second NMD, an indication of a particular wake word that the first NMD detected (“The household may support multiple wakewords. The wakeword identifier 802 may indicate which wakeword the NMD detected. For example, the wakeword identifier may indicate whether the NMD detected the wakeword “Alexa”, “OK Google”, “Hey Sonos”, or “Hey Siri”.”; paragraphs 103 – 116; 131 - 139).
As per claims 8, 16, Beckhardt et al. further disclose the program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the first NMD is configured to receive, from the second NMD, an indication that the second NMD detected the wake word comprise program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the first NMD is configured to, while processing the voice input, receive, from the second NMD, an indication that the second NMD detected the wake word (Abstract; paragraphs 103 – 116; 131 - 139).
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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.
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/LEONARD SAINT-CYR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2658