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 .
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, 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Miyanaka (US-20230283952-A1) .
Regarding claim 1, Miyanaka (US-20230283952-A1) discloses a method for realizing a speaker array-oriented multiple filter system (Miyanaka, Fig. 5, items 51; ¶ [0086]: “the speakers SPKL, SPKR are array speakers having a plurality of speaker elements… configured as speakers having directivity” …¶ [0087]: “includes a filter … capable of suppressing the level of the reproduced sound from the speakers”), comprising:
Merging (collecting), before real-time audio processing (Miyanaka, ¶ [0081]: “The processor suppresses a level (for example, the sound pressure level) of the reproduced sound in a predetermined frequency band from the speakers SPKL, SPKR based on the environmental sound collected by the microphones”),
filters of a plurality of sound effect modules in an audio signal processing flow offline to form a finite impulse response (FIR) multiple filter (Miyanaka, ¶ [0051]: “a finite impulse response filter that includes multi-stage taps (multiple filters) and can freely set the filter coefficient of each tap (a network of filters). The update of filter
coefficients … is implemented by a predetermined (offline) algorithm”).
Regarding claim 15, Miyanaka discloses a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program (Miyanaka, ¶ [0043]: “The memory may include a storage medium such as a flash memory, a hard disk drive (HDD), and a solid state drive (SSD) in addition to the RAM and the ROM.”) wherein the computer program when executed by a processor causes the processor (Miyanaka, ¶ [0061]: “The processor operates according to programs and control data stored in the memory”) to perform a method for realizing a speaker array-oriented multiple filter system (Miyanaka, Fig. 5, items 51; ¶ [0086]: “the speakers SPKL, SPKR are array speakers having a plurality of speaker elements… configured as speakers having directivity” …¶ [0087]: “includes a filter … capable of suppressing the level of the reproduced sound from the speakers”); wherein
the method includes:
merging, before real-time audio processing (Miyanaka, Fig. 6, item 12; ¶ [0081]: “The processor suppresses a level (for example, the sound pressure level) of the reproduced sound in a predetermined (before) frequency band from the speakers SPKL, SPKR based on the environmental sound collected by the microphones”),
filters of a plurality of sound effect modules in an audio signal processing flow offline to form a finite impulse response (FIR) multiple filter network (Miyanaka, ¶ [0051]: “ a finite impulse response filter that includes multi-stage taps (multiple filters) and can freely set the filter coefficient of each tap (a network of filters). The update of filter coefficients … is implemented by a predetermined (offline) algorithm ”).
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) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Miyanaka (US-20230283952-A1), and further in view of Johnson (US-20160029143-A1).
Regarding claim 8, Miyanaka, discloses a device comprising:
a memory (Miyanaka, Fig. 6, item 11),
a processor and a computer program stored on the memory and executable on the processor (Miyanaka, Fig. 6, item 12), wherein
the processor executes the computer program (Miyanaka, ¶ [0061]: “The processor operates according to programs and control data stored in the memory”) to perform a method for realizing a speaker array-oriented multiple filter system (Miyanaka, Fig. 5, items 51; ¶ [0086]: “the speakers SPKL, SPKR are array speakers having a plurality of speaker elements… configured as speakers having directivity” …¶ [0087]: “includes a filter … capable of suppressing the level of the reproduced sound from the speakers ”); wherein
the method includes:
merging, before real-time audio processing (Miyanaka, Fig. 6, item 12; ¶ [0081]: “The processor suppresses a level (for example, the sound pressure level) of the reproduced sound in a predetermined (before) frequency band from the speakers SPKL, SPKR based on the environmental sound collected by the microphones”),
filters of a plurality of sound effect modules in an audio signal processing flow offline to form a finite impulse response (FIR) multiple filter network (Miyanaka, ¶ [0051]: “ a finite impulse response filter that includes multi-stage taps (multiple filters) and can freely set the filter coefficient of each tap (a network of filters). The update of filter coefficients … is implemented by a predetermined (offline) algorithm ”).
However, Miyanaka fails to disclose a transceiver.
In an analogous field of endeavor, Johnson (US-20160029143-A1) discloses a transceiver (Johnson, Fig. 3, item 14; ¶ [0038]: “a BLUETOOTH transceiver with an associated antenna ”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Johnson with Miyanaka to provide communication with the listening device, the loudspeaker array, and/or another device.
Claim(s) 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Miyanaka (US-20230283952-A1), and further in view of Smithers (US 20170208392 A1).
Regarding claim 5, Miyanaka discloses all the limitations of claim 1,
comprising:
determining an offline processing mode of the FIR multiple filter network (Miyanaka, ¶ [0051]: “a finite impulse response filter that includes multi-stage taps and can freely set the filter coefficient of each tap (a network of filters). The update of filter coefficients … is implemented by a predetermined (offline) algorithm”, Where processing mode is interpreted as a new calibration based on a change of speaker).
However, Miyanaka fails to disclose, a type of a speaker to which an audio channel is connected.
In an analogous field of endeavor, Smithers (US 20170208392 A1) discloses a type of a speaker to which an audio channel is connected (Smithers, ¶ [0079]: an “array of two or more speakers of different sizes and/or characteristics”, when used, a new calibration should be performed, ¶ [0087]: “the use of a room calibration user interface and a speaker definition that specifies a type of speaker as a virtual or non-virtual height speaker.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Smithers with Miyanaka to calibrate the type of speakers in correspondence of room or environment.
Claim(s) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Miyanaka (US-20230283952-A1), and further in view of Jot (US 5812674 A).
Regarding claim 7, Miyanaka discloses all the limitations of claim 1.
Miyanaka fails to disclose, wherein the plurality of sound effect modules includes at least one of a sound field control module, an independent sound zone control module, a convolution reverb module, and a speaker compensation module.
In an analogous field of endeavor, Jot (US 5812674 A) discloses at least one of a sound field control module, an independent sound zone control module, a convolution reverb module, and a speaker compensation module (Jot, col. 6, ln 28-64).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-4, 6, 9-14 and 16-20, are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FRIEDRICH FAHNERT whose telephone number is (571)270-7797. The examiner can normally be reached 7:00 am-4:00 pm.
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/CAROLYN R EDWARDS/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2692
/FRIEDRICH FAHNERT/
Examiner
Art Unit 2692