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 .
Double Patenting
The nonstatutory double patenting rejection is based on a judicially created doctrine grounded in public policy (a policy reflected in the statute) so as to prevent the unjustified or improper timewise extension of the “right to exclude” granted by a patent and to prevent possible harassment by multiple assignees. A nonstatutory double patenting rejection is appropriate where the claims at issue are not identical, but at least one examined application claim is not patentably distinct from the reference claim(s) because the examined application claim is either anticipated by, or would have been obvious over, the reference claim(s). See, e.g., In re Berg, 140 F.3d 1428, 46 USPQ2d 1226 (Fed. Cir. 1998); In re Goodman, 11 F.3d 1046, 29 USPQ2d 2010 (Fed. Cir. 1993); In re Longi, 759 F.2d 887, 225 USPQ 645 (Fed. Cir. 1985); In re Van Ornum, 686 F.2d 937, 214 USPQ 761 (CCPA 1982); In re Vogel, 422 F.2d 438, 164 USPQ 619 (CCPA 1970); and In re Thorington, 418 F.2d 528, 163 USPQ 644 (CCPA 1969).
A timely filed terminal disclaimer in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(c) or 1.321(d) may be used to overcome an actual or provisional rejection based on a nonstatutory double patenting ground provided the reference application or patent either is shown to be commonly owned with this application, or claims an invention made as a result of activities undertaken within the scope of a joint research agreement. A terminal disclaimer must be signed in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(b).
The USPTO internet Web site contains terminal disclaimer forms which may be used. Please visit http://www.uspto.gov/forms/. The filing date of the application will determine what form should be used. A web-based eTerminal Disclaimer may be filled out completely online using web-screens. An eTerminal Disclaimer that meets all requirements is auto-processed and approved immediately upon submission. For more information about eTerminal Disclaimers, refer to http://www.uspto.gov/patents/process/file/efs/guidance/eTD-info-I.jsp.
Claims 1-20 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory obviousness-type double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-43 of Patent 11533560. Although the conflicting claims are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because: claims 1, 10, 19 and 43 of Patent 11533560 anticipate all the limitations in the claims 1, 14 and 18 of instant application since the claims of the instant application are broader variations of the patented claims. Dependent claims 2-13, 15-17 and 19-20 are also rejected because they are obvious variants of the patented claims.
Dependent claims of the instant application maps to the claims of the Patent:
2-3, 15, 19 maps to 32, 37, 42
4, 16-17 and 20 maps to 1, 10, 19 and 43
5, 8 maps to 3, 12, 21, 35, 40
6 maps to 4, 13, 22, 28-30
7 maps to 34, 39
9 maps to 5, 14, 23
10 maps to 7, 16, 25
11 maps to 8, 17, 26, 28-30
12 maps to 9, 18 and 27
Patent 11533560
Instant Application 18/517592
1. A method for enhancing an audio signal, comprising, by a circuitry of a device: transmitting a request to an operating system of the device for rendering system information of an audio rendering system associated with the device, the operating system operating the device and the audio rendering system; receiving, from the operating system of the device, the rendering system information, wherein the rendering system information comprises data representative of a communication path of the audio signal, wherein the data representative of the communication path of the audio signal includes metadata indicative of an audio consumption software application associated with the audio signal;
querying a database using the data representative of the communication path of the audio signal; receiving, responsive to querying the database, an audio enhancement, wherein the audio enhancement is mapped, in the database, to the data representative of the communication path of the audio signal;
applying the audio enhancement to the audio signal to generate an enhanced audio signal; and providing the enhanced audio signal to the audio rendering system.
10. A device, comprising: an audio rendering system; and circuitry configured to: transmit a request to an operating system of the device for rendering system information of an audio rendering system associated with the device, the operating system operating the device and the audio rendering system; receive, from the operating system of the device, the rendering system information, wherein the rendering system information comprises data representative of a communication path of the audio signal, wherein the data representative of the communication path of the audio signal includes metadata indicative of an audio consumption software application associated with the audio signal;
query a database using the data representative of the communication path of the audio signal; receive, responsive to querying the database, an audio enhancement, wherein the audio enhancement is mapped, in the database, to the data representative of the communication path of the audio signal;
apply the audio enhancement to the audio signal to generate an enhanced audio signal; and provide the enhanced audio signal to the audio rendering system.
19. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that when executed by one or more processors configure the one or more processors to: transmit a request to an operating system of a device for rendering system information of an audio rendering system associated with the device, the operating system operating the device and the audio rendering system; receive, from the operating system of the device, the rendering system information, wherein the rendering system information data representative of a communication path of the audio signal, wherein the data representative of the communication path of the audio signal includes metadata indicative of an audio consumption software application associated with the audio signal;
querying a database using the data representative of the communication path of the audio signal; receiving, responsive to querying the database, an audio enhancement, wherein the audio enhancement is mapped, in the database, to the data representative of the communication path of the audio signal; apply the audio enhancement to the audio signal to generate an enhanced audio signal; and provide the enhanced audio signal to the audio rendering system.
43. A method for enhancing an audio signal, comprising, by a circuitry of a device: transmitting a request to an operating system of the device for rendering system information of an audio rendering system associated with the device, the operating system operating the device and the audio rendering system; receiving, from the operating system of the device, the rendering system information, wherein the rendering system information comprises data representative of a communication path of the audio signal, wherein the communication path of the audio signal is a headphone jack, built-in speakers of the device, a Bluetooth connection, a Wi-Fi connection, a universal serial bus (USB) connection, or a high-definition multi-media interface (HDMI); querying a database using the data representative of the communication path of the audio signal; receiving, responsive to querying the database, an audio enhancement, wherein the audio enhancement is mapped, in the database, to the data representative of the communication path of the audio signal; applying the audio enhancement to the audio signal to generate an enhanced audio signal; and providing the enhanced audio signal to the audio rendering system.
1. A system for enhancing an audio signal for rendering by an audio rendering system associated with a device, comprising circuitry configured to: receive, from an operating system of the device, rendering system information of the audio rendering system associated with the device, wherein the rendering system information comprises data representative of a communication path of the audio signal;
query a database using the data representative of the communication path of the audio signal; receive, responsive to querying the database, an audio enhancement, wherein the audio enhancement is mapped, in the database, to the data representative of the communication path of the audio signal;
apply the audio enhancement to the audio signal to generate an enhanced audio signal; and provide the enhanced audio signal to the audio rendering system.
18. A device for enhancing an audio signal for rendering by an audio rendering system associated with the device, comprising circuitry configured to: receive, from an operating system of the device, rendering system information of the audio rendering system, wherein the rendering system information comprises data representative of a communication path of the audio signal; receive an audio enhancement,
wherein the audio enhancement is obtained from a database that maps the audio enhancement to the data representative of the communication path of the audio signal;
apply the audio enhancement to the audio signal to generate an enhanced audio signal; and provide the enhanced audio signal to the audio rendering system.
14. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that when executed by one or more processors configure the one or more processors to: receive, from an operating system of a device, rendering system information of an audio rendering system associated with a device, wherein the rendering system information comprises data representative of a communication path of an audio signal to be rendered by the audio rendering device;
query a database using the data representative of the communication path of the audio signal; receive, responsive to querying the database, an audio enhancement, wherein the audio enhancement is mapped, in the database, to the data representative of the communication path of the audio signal; apply the audio enhancement to the audio signal to generate an enhanced audio signal; and provide the enhanced audio signal to the audio rendering system.
Claims 1-20 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory obviousness-type double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-36 of Patent 11863950. Although the conflicting claims are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because: claims 1, 10, 19 and 28 of Patent 11863950 anticipate all the limitations in the claims 1, 14 and 18 of instant application since the claims of the instant application are broader variations of the patented claims. Dependent claims 2-13, 15-17 and 19-20 are also rejected because they are obvious variants of the patented claims.
Dependent claims of the instant application maps to the claims of the Patent:
2-3, 13, 15, 19 maps to 1, 10, 19
4, 16-17 and 20 maps to 4, 13, 22, 31
5, 7-8 maps to 3, 30
6 maps to 5, 14, 23, 32
9 maps to 6, 15, 24, 33
10 maps to 7, 16, 25
11 maps to 8, 17, 26, 28-30
12 maps to 9, 18 and 27
Patent 11863950
Instant Application 18/517592
1. A method for enhancing an audio signal for rendering by an audio rendering system associated with a device, comprising: transmitting a request to an operating system of the device for rendering system information of the audio rendering system associated with the device, the operating system operating the device and the audio rendering system; receiving, from the operating system of the device, the rendering system information, wherein the rendering system information comprises data representative of a communication path of the audio signal, wherein the communication path of the audio signal is a headphone jack, built-in speakers of the device, a wireless connection, a universal serial bus (USB) connection, or a high-definition multi-media interface (HDMI); querying a database using the data representative of the communication path of the audio signal; receiving, responsive to querying the database, an audio enhancement, wherein the audio enhancement is mapped, in the database, to the data representative of the communication path of the audio signal; applying the audio enhancement to the audio signal to generate an enhanced audio signal; and providing the enhanced audio signal to the audio rendering system.
10. A method for enhancing an audio signal for rendering by an audio rendering system associated with a device, comprising: receiving rendering system information comprising data representative of an audio signal communication path associated with the device, wherein the data representative of the audio signal communication path is indicative of the audio rendering system being integrated with the device, a wired connection with the audio rendering system, or a wireless connection with the audio rendering system; querying a database using the data representative of the audio signal communication path; responsive to the database query, determining an audio enhancement mapped to the data representative of the audio signal communication path; applying the determined audio enhancement to the audio signal to generate an enhanced audio signal; and providing the enhanced audio signal to the device.
19. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that when executed by one or more processors configure the one or more processors to: receive rendering system information comprising data representative of a type of communication path of an audio signal to be rendered by an audio rendering system associated with a device, corresponding to an analog or digital, internal or external, wired or wireless path between the audio rendering system and the device; query a database using the data representative of the type of communication path; responsive to the queried database, determine an audio enhancement mapped to the data representative of the type of communication path; apply the determined audio enhancement to the audio signal to generate an enhanced audio signal; and provide the enhanced audio signal to the device.
28. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that when executed by one or more processors configure the one or more processors to: receive rendering system information comprising data representative of a communication path of an audio signal to be rendered by an audio rendering system associated with a device, wherein the communication path of the audio signal is a headphone jack, built-in speakers of the device, a wireless connection, a universal serial bus (USB) connection, or a high-definition multi-media interface (HDMI); query a database using the data representative of the communication path of the audio signal; receive, responsive to querying the database, an audio enhancement, wherein the audio enhancement is mapped, in the database, to the data representative of the communication path of the audio signal; apply the audio enhancement to the audio signal to generate an enhanced audio signal; and provide the enhanced audio signal to the audio rendering system.
1. A system for enhancing an audio signal for rendering by an audio rendering system associated with a device, comprising circuitry configured to: receive, from an operating system of the device, rendering system information of the audio rendering system associated with the device, wherein the rendering system information comprises data representative of a communication path of the audio signal;
query a database using the data representative of the communication path of the audio signal; receive, responsive to querying the database, an audio enhancement, wherein the audio enhancement is mapped, in the database, to the data representative of the communication path of the audio signal;
apply the audio enhancement to the audio signal to generate an enhanced audio signal; and provide the enhanced audio signal to the audio rendering system.
18. A device for enhancing an audio signal for rendering by an audio rendering system associated with the device, comprising circuitry configured to: receive, from an operating system of the device, rendering system information of the audio rendering system, wherein the rendering system information comprises data representative of a communication path of the audio signal; receive an audio enhancement,
wherein the audio enhancement is obtained from a database that maps the audio enhancement to the data representative of the communication path of the audio signal;
apply the audio enhancement to the audio signal to generate an enhanced audio signal; and provide the enhanced audio signal to the audio rendering system.
14. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that when executed by one or more processors configure the one or more processors to: receive, from an operating system of a device, rendering system information of an audio rendering system associated with a device, wherein the rendering system information comprises data representative of a communication path of an audio signal to be rendered by the audio rendering device;
query a database using the data representative of the communication path of the audio signal; receive, responsive to querying the database, an audio enhancement, wherein the audio enhancement is mapped, in the database, to the data representative of the communication path of the audio signal; apply the audio enhancement to the audio signal to generate an enhanced audio signal; and provide the enhanced audio signal to the audio rendering system.
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)(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.
Claim(s) 1-2, 5, 7-8, 13-15, and 17-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Worley (US 9191742).
Regarding claim 1, Worley teaches A system for enhancing an audio signal (Worley figure 1, Col 5 lines 1-6 “the remote computing resources 118 may enhance the audio sent to the device”) for rendering by an audio rendering system associated with a device (Worley figure 1, Col 5 lines 1-10, speaker 110), comprising circuitry configured to: receive, from an operating system of the device, rendering system information of the audio rendering system associated with the device (Worley figure 1, Col 5 lines 5-10 “resource 118 may determine a characteristic of the speaker(s) 110,” Col 5 lines 35-40, “identifier effective to identify the specific client device 106. This identifier may comprise a media access control (MAC) address or any other type of identifier”), wherein the rendering system information comprises data representative of a communication path of the audio signal (Worley figure 1, Col 5 lines 5-10 “resource 118 may determine a characteristic of the speaker(s) 110,” Col 5 lines 35-40, “identifier effective to identify the specific client device 106. This identifier may comprise a media access control (MAC) address or any other type of identifier,” with BRI, determine the identity of a device and how to process the audio based on that information can be considered data representative of a communication path of the audio signal); query a database using the data representative of the communication path of the audio signal (Worley Col 5 lines 39-47, “engine 132 may then reference the profiles 136 to identify one or more characteristics of the client device 106”); receive, responsive to querying the database, an audio enhancement, wherein the audio enhancement is mapped, in the database, to the data representative of the communication path of the audio signal (Worley Col 5 lines 60-67, “the audio-enhancement engine 132 may perform equalization to the audio, dynamic range modification, or the like, with these enhancements being based on the characteristics of the client device 106 (e.g., the type of speaker(s) on the device), the type of the audio, preferences of the user 104, and/or the like”); apply the audio enhancement to the audio signal to generate an enhanced audio signal; and provide the enhanced audio signal to the audio rendering system (Worley Col 6 lines 15-20, “somehow altering an amplitude of at least one frequency (e.g., a band of frequencies) and/or the amplitude of the audio, the remote computing resources 118 may provide the enhanced audio to the client device 106 for output on the speaker(s) 110”).
Regarding claims 2, 15 and 19, Worley teaches wherein the communication path of the audio signal corresponds to a route on which the audio signal is transmitted to the audio rendering system (Worley figure 1, Col 5 lines 5-10 “resource 118 may determine a characteristic of the speaker(s) 110,” Col 5 lines 35-40, “identifier effective to identify the specific client device 106. This identifier may comprise a media access control (MAC) address or any other type of identifier,” with BRI, determining the identity of the device for audio output can be considered determining a route on which the audio signal is transmitted).
Regarding claim 5, Worley teaches wherein the rendering system information includes a unique device identifier (Worley figure 1, Col 5 lines 5-10 “resource 118 may determine a characteristic of the speaker(s) 110,” Col 5 lines 35-40, “identifier effective to identify the specific client device 106. This identifier may comprise a media access control (MAC) address or any other type of identifier,” with BRI, determine the identity of a device and how to process the audio based on that information can be considered data representative of a communication path of the audio signal).
Regarding claim 7, Worley teaches wherein the rendering system information includes a device class (Worley figure 1 and Col 5 lines 19-31, “the profiles 136 may identify the make, model, manufacturer, or frequency response of the speakers associated with the different client devices”).
Regarding claim 8, Worley teaches wherein the rendering system information includes at least one of a model identifier or a product identifier (Worley figure 1 and Col 5 lines 19-31, “the profiles 136 may identify the make, model, manufacturer, or frequency response of the speakers associated with the different client devices”).
Regarding claims 13 and 17, Worley teaches wherein the system is a part of the device (Worley figure 1).
Regarding claim 14, Worley teaches A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that when executed by one or more processors configure the one or more processors to: receive, from an operating system of a device, rendering system information of an audio rendering system associated with a device (Worley figure 1, Col 5 lines 5-10 “resource 118 may determine a characteristic of the speaker(s) 110,” Col 5 lines 35-40, “identifier effective to identify the specific client device 106. This identifier may comprise a media access control (MAC) address or any other type of identifier”), wherein the rendering system information comprises data representative of a communication path of an audio signal to be rendered by the audio rendering device (Worley figure 1, Col 5 lines 5-10 “resource 118 may determine a characteristic of the speaker(s) 110,” Col 5 lines 35-40, “identifier effective to identify the specific client device 106. This identifier may comprise a media access control (MAC) address or any other type of identifier,” with BRI, determine the identity of a device and how to process the audio based on that information can be considered data representative of a communication path of the audio signal); query a database using the data representative of the communication path of the audio signal (Worley Col 5 lines 39-47, “engine 132 may then reference the profiles 136 to identify one or more characteristics of the client device 106”); receive, responsive to querying the database, an audio enhancement, wherein the audio enhancement is mapped, in the database, to the data representative of the communication path of the audio signal (Worley Col 5 lines 60-67, “the audio-enhancement engine 132 may perform equalization to the audio, dynamic range modification, or the like, with these enhancements being based on the characteristics of the client device 106 (e.g., the type of speaker(s) on the device) the type of the audio, preferences of the user 104, and/or the like”); apply the audio enhancement to the audio signal to generate an enhanced audio signal; and provide the enhanced audio signal to the audio rendering system (Worley Col 6 lines 15-20, “somehow altering an amplitude of at least one frequency (e.g., a band of frequencies) and/or the amplitude of the audio, the remote computing resources 118 may provide the enhanced audio to the client device 106 for output on the speaker(s) 110”).
Regarding claim 18, Worley teaches A device for enhancing an audio signal for rendering by an audio rendering system associated with the device (Worley figure 1, Col 5 lines 5-10 “resource 118 may determine a characteristic of the speaker(s) 110,” Col 5 lines 35-40, “identifier effective to identify the specific client device 106. This identifier may comprise a media access control (MAC) address or any other type of identifier”), comprising circuitry configured to: receive, from an operating system of the device, rendering system information of the audio rendering system (Worley figure 1, Col 5 lines 5-10 “resource 118 may determine a characteristic of the speaker(s) 110,” Col 5 lines 35-40, “identifier effective to identify the specific client device 106. This identifier may comprise a media access control (MAC) address or any other type of identifier”), wherein the rendering system information comprises data representative of a communication path of the audio signal (Worley figure 1, Col 5 lines 5-10 “resource 118 may determine a characteristic of the speaker(s) 110,” Col 5 lines 35-40, “identifier effective to identify the specific client device 106. This identifier may comprise a media access control (MAC) address or any other type of identifier,” with BRI, determine the identity of a device and how to process the audio based on that information can be considered data representative of a communication path of the audio signal); receive an audio enhancement, wherein the audio enhancement is obtained from a database that maps the audio enhancement to the data representative of the communication path of the audio signal (Worley Col 5 lines 60-67, “the audio-enhancement engine 132 may perform equalization to the audio, dynamic range modification, or the like, with these enhancements being based on the characteristics of the client device 106 (e.g., the type of speaker(s) on the device), the type of the audio, preferences of the user 104, and/or the like”); apply the audio enhancement to the audio signal to generate an enhanced audio signal; and provide the enhanced audio signal to the audio rendering system (Worley Col 6 lines 15-20, “somehow altering an amplitude of at least one frequency (e.g., a band of frequencies) and/or the amplitude of the audio, the remote computing resources 118 may provide the enhanced audio to the client device 106 for output on the speaker(s) 110”).
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) 4, 16 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Worley (US 9191742) in view of Dusse (US 9942661).
Regarding claims 4, 16 and 20, Worley does not explicitly teach wherein the data representative of the communication path of the audio signal includes metadata indicative of a software application associated with the audio signal.
Dusse teaches wherein the data representative of the communication path of the audio signal includes metadata indicative of a software application associated with the audio signal (Dusse Col 9 lines 10-20, “version level information” and Col 5 lines 39-45).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the known technique of Dusse to improve the known system of Worley to achieve the predictable result of most updated enhancement based on device’s software version.
Claim(s) 6 and 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Worley (US 9191742) in view of Gautama (US 2016/0269128).
Regarding claim 6, Worley does not explicitly teach wherein the rendering system information includes at least one of a position or orientation of the device.
Gautama teaches wherein the rendering system information includes at least one of a position or orientation of the device.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the known technique of Gautama to improve the known method of Worley to achieve the predictable result of encompassing the audio rendering device location for enhancing adapted audio processing (Gautama ¶0070).
Regarding claim 12, Worley in view of Gautama teaches wherein the audio enhancement includes adjusting for an asymmetry between a left and right speaker of the rendering system by applying at least one of a filter, time delay (Gautama ¶0048, “adjust the delay between primary signal and modulated secondary signal”), or gain.
Claim(s) 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Worley (US 9191742) in view of Smith (2019/0327559).
Regarding claim 9, Worley does not explicitly teach wherein the rendering system information includes an audio codec used by the device.
Smith teaches wherein the rendering system information includes an audio codec used by the device (Smith ¶0036, “device 102 determines that the audio player 100 is capable of sending either the AAC or SBC audio codec and that the BT speaker 108 is only capable of utilizing the SBC audio codec”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the known technique of Smith to improve the known method of Worley to achieve the predictable result of ensuring devices are capable of outputting the desired audio signals.
Claim(s) 10-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Worley (US 9191742) in view of Seldess (US 2017/0208411).
Regarding claim 10, Worley does not explicitly teach wherein the audio enhancement includes filtering side subband components and mid subband components of the audio signal.
Seldess teaches wherein the audio enhancement (Seldess ¶0032 “The sound field enhancement processing pipeline 210 performs sound field enhancement using a subband spatial enhancement, and may use the parameters 204 of the speakers 280”) includes filtering side subband components and mid subband components of the audio signal (Seldess figure 4 and ¶0045, mid/side processors 430).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the known technique of Seldess to improve the known method of Worley to achieve the predictable result of reproducing a more immersive listening experience for the listener (Seldess ¶0012).
Regarding Claim 11, Worley in view of Seldess teaches wherein the audio enhancement includes crosstalk processing (Seldess figure 2B, Crosstalk cancellation processor 260).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if a terminal disclaimer is filed to overcome the double patenting rejection and rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims because the closest prior art either alone or in combination, fail to anticipate or render obvious, the claimed limitation of “ wherein the communication path of the audio signal is a headphone jack, built-in speakers of the device, a Bluetooth connection, a universal serial bus (USB) connection, or a high-definition multi-media interface (HDMI)” in combination with all other limitations in the claim(s) as defined by the applicant.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NORMAN YU whose telephone number is (571)270-7436. The examiner can normally be reached on Mon - Fri 11am-7pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ahmad Matar can be reached on 571-272-7488. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Any response to this action should be mailed to:
Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks
P.O. Box 1450
Alexandria, Va. 22313-1450
Or faxed to:
(571) 273-8300, for formal communications intended for entry and for
informal or draft communications, please label “PROPOSED” or “DRAFT”.
Hand-delivered responses should be brought to:
Customer Service Window
Randolph Building
401 Dulany Street
Arlington, VA 22314
Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/NORMAN YU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2693