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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligiblefor continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e)has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawnpursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 05/04/2026 has been entered.
Status of the Claims
Claims 1-35 are pending.
Response to Applicant’s Arguments
In response to “As agreed to during the telephonic interview, Applicant submits that amended claim 1 includes features which are not disclosed by Usher, so amended claim 1 is not anticipated by Usher. Furthermore, Applicant submits that amended claim 1 is not rendered obvious by Usher”, “As agreed to during the telephonic interview, Applicant submits that amended claim 14 includes features which are not disclosed by Usher, so amended claim 14 is not anticipated by Usher. Furthermore, Applicant submits that amended claim 14 is not rendered obvious by Usher” and “As agreed to during the telephonic interview, Applicant submits that amended claim 24 includes features which are not disclosed by Usher, so amended claim 24 is not anticipated by Usher. Furthermore, Applicant submits that amended claim 24 is not rendered obvious by Usher”.
In view of amendments to claims 1, 14, and 24, anticipation rejection under Usher has been withdrawn. Upon further search and consideration, please see details of a new combination of references set forth below.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 103 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made 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.
Claims 1-9, 13-22, and 24-30 are rejected under 35 USC 103(a) as being unpatentable over Usher et al. (US 2019/0278556 A1) in view of Pedersen et al. (EP 2804401 B1).
Regarding Claim 1, Usher discloses an apparatus (Fig. 18 and ¶¶52-53, user GUI system operating on iOS or Android devices 1840; e.g., ¶¶87-88, and Fig. 24, user devices: mobile device smart phones) comprising:
voice activity detection (VAD) circuitry (¶52, a DSP chip for audio signal management; ¶58, an application of a Directional Enhancement algorithm is a front end to a voice activity detector to detect when someone is speaking; ¶59, running a Directional Enhancement algorithm on a DSP; see example, ¶87, first user device 2402 with processor 2404 executing instructions stored in memory 2403 to implement the DSP chip) configured to analyze one or more broadcast streams transmitted by at least one remote broadcast system to multiple individuals (¶¶65-66, GUI system recording incoming radio messages such as important announcement at airport in a buffer), the broadcast streams comprising audio data (¶59, the algorithm analyzes signal of ambient sound microphone (ASM) inputs; per ¶24, ambient sound microphones configured to detect sound around the listener; e.g., ¶60, car horn or someone shouting at the wearer or per ¶66, important announcement at the airport), to identify first segments of the one or more broadcast streams in which the audio data of the one or more broadcast streams includes speech data (¶77 and ¶79, detect voice activity such as “hey john”), and to identify second segments of the one or more broadcast streams in which the audio data does not include speech data (¶82, perform horn detection to analyze ASM signal to detect a car horn);
derivation circuitry configured (¶86 and ¶104, implementing speech-to-text translation applications on user devices - mobile device smartphone; ¶87, first user device 2402 with processor 2404 executing instructions stored in memory 2403 to implement the speech to text translation applications) to receive the first segments of the one or more broadcast streams and, for each first segment of the one or more broadcast streams, to derive one or more words from the speech data of the first segment (per ¶73, toggle keyword detect button 2340 and monitor vocal audio for stored keywords by implementing speech to text translation applications);
keyword detection circuitry (¶54, Sound recognition system: keyword detection; ¶87, first user device 2402 with processor 2404 executing instructions stored in memory 2403 to implement the sound recognition system for keyword detection) configured to, for each first segment of the one or more broadcast streams, receive the one or more words and to generate keyword information indicative of whether at least one word of the one or more words is among a set of stored keywords (¶¶78-9, optimized algorithm for detecting when a wearer’s friends shout across the road targeted keyword “hey john”; in view of ¶73, monitor vocal audio for stored keywords; e.g., “John” from “hey john” is a stored keyword); and
decision circuitry (¶87, first user device 2402 with processor 2404 executing instructions stored in memory 2403) configured to receive the first segments of the one or more broadcast streams, the one or more words of each of the first segments of the one or more broadcast streams, and the keyword information for each of the first segments of the one or more broadcast streams and, for each first segment of the one or more broadcast streams, to select, based at least in part on the keyword information, among a plurality of options regarding communication of information indicative of the first segment to a recipient (¶79, when detecting target keyword phrase “hey john”, automatically pause music playback and pass through the ambient sound to allow John to speak with his name-calling friend).
Usher does not disclose the broadcast streams are electromagnetic wireless broadcast streams.
Pedersen discloses a hearing apparatus (¶7, hearing instrument) receiving audio message data in electromagnetic wireless broadcast streams transmitted by at least one remote electromagnetic wireless broadcast system to multiple individuals (¶12, hearing instrument having a mixer with an input connected to an output of the radio receiving broadcasted message; per ¶10, the broadcasted message is a message that can be received by a plurality of receivers; see further ¶39, broadcasted spoken messages / digital audio is transmitted wirelessly to hearing instrument and received by hearing instrument antenna 42 connected to a radio receiver as a received radio signal) and analyzing audio message data in the electromagnetic wireless broadcast streams (¶50, hearing instrument authenticator inputs the received message to calculate message authentication code (MAC) for comparison to authenticate the received message) to select, among a plurality of options regarding communication of information indicative of the audio message data to a recipient (¶¶41-42, broadcasted message that cannot be authenticated is not transmitted to the user and authenticated broadcasted message is transmitted to the user; see further ¶18 and ¶44, broadcasted messages have different assigned priorities where highest priority messages are transmitted to the hearing instrument user without delay and other broadcasted messages are stored for subsequent presentation to the hearing instrument user in their order of priority).
It would’ve been obvious to one ordinarily skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to implement the iOs / Android devices of Usher (¶53) to receive and analyze electromagnetic wireless broadcast streams transmitted by remote electromagnetic wireless broadcast system to multiple individuals (User, ¶66, important announcement at the airport or important information for emergency worker in an incoming radio message; compare Pedersen, ¶38 and ¶44, hearing instrument receiving digital audio from broadcasting systems in a public place like railway station, airport like alarm messages and traffic announcements) to allow the user to stay connected with the surroundings while simultaneously listening to broadcasted messages (Pedersen, ¶15).
Regarding Claim 2, Usher discloses wherein the VAD circuitry, the derivation circuitry, the keyword detection circuitry, and the decision circuitry are components of one or more microprocessors (¶87, first user device 2402 with processor 2404 executing instructions stored in memory 2403).
Regarding Claim 3, Usher discloses the apparatus of claim 2, further comprising an external device configured to be worn, held, and/or carried by the recipient (¶88, in addition to using first user device 2402, user 2401 also have access to second user device 2406), the external device comprising at least one microprocessor of the one or more microprocessors (¶88, second user device 2406 includes processor 2408 executing instructions from memory 2407).
Regarding Claim 4, Usher discloses the apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a sensory prosthesis configured to be worn by the recipient or implanted on and/or within the recipient's body (¶91, earphone device 2415 inserted into user’s ear), the sensory prosthesis comprising at least one microprocessor of the one or more microprocessors (¶92, earphone device 2415 includes processors that execute instructions from memory).
Regarding Claim 5, Usher discloses wherein the sensory prosthesis and the external device are in wireless communication with one another (¶92, earphone device 2415 comprises a transceiver to facilitate wireless connections and transmissions between earphone device 2415 and any device in system 2400; see Fig. 24, system 2400 comprises first user device 2402 and second user device 2406).
Regarding Claim 6, Usher discloses wherein the VAD circuitry is further configured to parse the first segments from the second segments (¶77, determine voice activity by an analysis of un-normalized cross correlation between ear canal microphone (ECM) and ambient sound microphone (ASMO) signals), to exclude the second segments from further processing (¶77, robust voice activity detection with significant low frequency energy on ear canal microphone post acoustic echo cancellation when the user is speaking to avoid false positives; see also ¶82, when a target sound is detected, signalGain is set to unity, and is zero otherwise), and to transmit the first segments to the derivation circuitry and the decision circuitry (¶78, keyword feature uses optimized sensory algorithm to detect when user utters a keyword phrase from ambient sound-delayed buffer per ¶77).
Regarding Claim 7, Usher discloses wherein the derivation circuitry is further configured to transmit the one or more words to the keyword detection circuitry (¶73, monitor vocal audio for stored keywords by implementing speech to text translation applications and detect keyword phrase like “hey john” per ¶79).
Regarding Claim 8, Usher discloses wherein the keyword detection circuitry is further configured to retrieve the set of stored keywords from memory circuitry (¶87, first user device 2402 with processor 2404 executing instructions stored in memory 2403 to implement stored keywords per ¶124: a database of stored spectrums associated with a keyword and phrase).
Regarding Claim 9, Usher discloses wherein the set of stored keywords comprises, for each stored keyword, information indicative of an importance of the stored keyword (¶125, matching identified keyword / keyphrase to an action listed on a database where a series of actions can be associated with the keyword / keyphrase).
Regarding Claim 13, Usher discloses wherein the plurality of options regarding communication of information indicative of the first segment to the recipient comprises at least one of:
at least one text message indicative of the one or more words of the first segment;
at least one visual, audio, and/or tactile signal indicative of whether the one or more words of the first segment comprises a stored keyword, indicative of an identification of the stored keyword, and/or indicative of an importance of the stored keyword (¶73, when the keyword is detected, enact an action associated with the keyword; e.g., activate Siri when the phrase “hello blue genie” is vocalized);
at least one signal indicative of the audio data of the first segment and communicated to the recipient (¶79, when ambient sound includes target keyword phrase “hey john”, pass through the ambient sound and allow John to speak with name-calling friend); and
at least one signal indicative of the audio data of the first segment and transmitted to memory circuitry to be stored and subsequently retrieved and communicated to the recipient.
Regarding Claims 14 and 24, Usher discloses a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program (¶87, first user device 2402 with processor 2404 executing instructions stored in memory 2403 to implement the speech to text translation applications) that instructs a computer system (Fig. 18 and ¶52, iOS, Android devices 1840; e.g., ¶¶87-88, and Fig. 24, user devices: mobile device smart phones) to segment real-time audio information into distinct sections of information by at least:
receiving one or more electromagnetic wireless broadcast streams comprising audio information (¶92, earphone device 2415 comprises a transceiver to facilitate wireless connections and transmissions between earphone device 2415 and any device in system 2400; ¶42 and ¶52, earphone with ambient microphones monitoring sound from ambient environment; e.g., friends shouting across the road “hey john” as ambient sound / multiple streams of broadcasts and transmit said ambient sound to user device via electromagnetic / RF waves);
dividing / segmenting the one or more electromagnetic wireless broadcast streams into a plurality of sections / segments (¶77, determine voice activity by an analysis of un-normalized cross correlation between ear canal microphone (ECM) and ambient sound microphone (ASMO) signals) comprising speech-including sections / segments (¶77, robust voice activity detection with significant low frequency energy on ear canal microphone post acoustic echo cancellation when the user is speaking to avoid false positives; see also ¶82, when a target sound is detected, signalGain is set to unity) and speech-excluding sections / segments (¶82, when a target sound is detected, signalGain is set to unity, and is zero otherwise);
evaluating the audio information of each speech-including section / segment of the one or more electromagnetic wireless broadcast streams for inclusion of at least one keyword (¶¶78-9, optimized algorithm for detecting when a wearer’s friends shout across the road a targeted keyword “hey john” (i.e., multiple streams of broadcasts); in view of ¶73, monitor vocal audio for stored keywords; e.g., “John” from “hey john” is a stored keyword); and
based on said evaluating, communicating information regarding the speech-including section to a user (¶79, when detecting target keyword phrase “hey john”, automatically pause music playback and pass through the ambient sound to allow John to speak with his name-calling friend).
Usher does not disclose the broadcast streams are electromagnetic wireless broadcast streams.
Pedersen discloses a hearing apparatus (¶7, hearing instrument) receiving audio message data in electromagnetic wireless broadcast streams transmitted by at least one remote electromagnetic wireless broadcast system to multiple individuals (¶12, hearing instrument having a mixer with an input connected to an output of the radio receiving broadcasted message; per ¶10, the broadcasted message is a message that can be received by a plurality of receivers; see further ¶39, broadcasted spoken messages / digital audio is transmitted wirelessly to hearing instrument and received by hearing instrument antenna 42 connected to a radio receiver as a received radio signal) and evaluating audio message data in the electromagnetic wireless broadcast streams (¶50, hearing instrument authenticator inputs the received message to calculate message authentication code (MAC) for comparison to authenticate the received message) to select among a plurality of options regarding communication of information indicative of the audio message data to a recipient (¶¶41-42, broadcasted message that cannot be authenticated is not transmitted to the user and authenticated broadcasted message is transmitted to the user; see further ¶18 and ¶44, broadcasted messages have different assigned priorities where highest priority messages are transmitted to the hearing instrument user without delay and other broadcasted messages are stored for subsequent presentation to the hearing instrument user in their order of priority).
It would’ve been obvious to one ordinarily skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to implement the iOs / Android devices of Usher (¶53) to receive and analyze electromagnetic wireless broadcast streams transmitted by remote electromagnetic wireless broadcast system to multiple individuals (User, ¶66, important announcement at the airport or important information for emergency worker in an incoming radio message; compare Pedersen, ¶38 and ¶44, hearing instrument receiving digital audio from broadcasting systems in a public place like railway station, airport like alarm messages and traffic announcements) to allow the user to stay connected with the surroundings while simultaneously listening to broadcasted messages (Pedersen, ¶15).
Regarding Claim 15, Usher discloses wherein said receiving is performed by a personal electronic device worn, held, and/or carried by the user or implanted on or within the user's body (¶91, earphone device 2415 inserted into user’s ear).
Regarding Claim 16, Usher discloses wherein the one or more electromagnetic wireless broadcast streams comprises at least one Bluetooth broadcast stream (¶52 and Fig. 18, earphones connected to BB 1810, which communicates with Android / iOS device via Bluetooth).
Regarding Claims 17 and 25, Usher discloses wherein said dividing comprises:
detecting at least one characteristic for each segment of the plurality of sections / segments (¶77, determine voice activity by an analysis of un-normalized cross correlation between ear canal microphone (ECM) and ambient sound microphone (ASMO) signals);
determining, for each segment / section of the plurality of segments / sections, whether the at least one characteristic is indicative of either the section / segment being a speech-including section / segment or a speech-excluding section / segment (¶77, robust voice activity detection with significant low frequency energy on ear canal microphone post acoustic echo cancellation when the user is speaking to avoid false positives; see also ¶82, when a target sound is detected, signalGain is set to unity, and is zero otherwise); and
appending information to at least some of the sections / segments, the information indicative of whether the section / segment is a speech-including section / segment or a speech-excluding section / segment (¶78, keyword feature uses optimized sensory algorithm to detect when user utters a keyword phrase from ambient sound-delayed buffer per ¶77; e.g., ¶125, matching the detected keyword or keyphrase to an action listed on a database).
Regarding Claims 18 and 25, Usher discloses wherein said dividing further comprises excluding the speech-excluding sections / segments from further processing (¶82, when a target sound is detected, signalGain is set to unity, and is zero otherwise).
Regarding Claims 19 and 26, Usher discloses wherein said evaluating the audio information comprises:
extracting one or more words from the audio data of the speech-including section / segment (¶73, monitor vocal audio for stored keywords by implementing speech to text translation applications per ¶86);
comparing the one or more words to a set of keywords to detect the at least one keyword within the one or more words (¶124, analyzing measured vocalization for detecting a keyword / keyphrase by matching a spectrum of ambient sound microphone to a database of stored spectrums associated with a keyword and/or phrase); and
appending information to at least some of the speech-including sections / segments, the information indicative of existence and/or identity of the detected at least one keyword within the one or more words of the speech-including section / segment (¶125, matching the detected keyword or keyphrase to an action listed on a database).
Regarding Claims 20 and 27, Usher discloses wherein the set of keywords is compiled from at least one of: user input, time of day, user's geographic location when the speech-including segment is received, history of previous user input, and/or information from computer memory (¶73, monitor vocal audio for stored keywords corresponding to a database of stored spectrums associated with a keyword and/or phrase) or one or more computing applications (¶73, “hello blue genie” activates Siri).
Regarding Claims 21 and 26, Usher discloses wherein said evaluating further comprises assigning an importance level to the speech-including section / segment (¶73, e.g., associate an action with detected keyword; e.g., activate Siri when “hello blue genie” is vocalized).
Regarding Claims 22 and 26, Usher discloses wherein the importance level is based at least in part on existence and/or identity of the at least one keyword, user input, time of day, user's geographic location when the speech-including section / segment is received, history of previous user input, and/or information from computer memory (¶73, monitor vocal audio for stored keywords corresponding to a database of stored spectrums associated with a keyword and/or phrase) or one or more computing applications (¶73, “hello blue genie” activates Siri).
Regarding Claim 28, Usher discloses based on whether the one or more words includes at least one keyword, the identity of the included at least one keyword, and/or the importance level of the speech-including section, selecting whether to communicate the information regarding the speech-including section to the user (¶79, when detecting target keyword phrase “hey john”, automatically pause music playback and pass through the ambient sound to allow John to speak with his name-calling friend) or to not communicate the information regarding the speech-including section to the user (¶73, when the keyword is detected, an action associated with the keyword is enacted; e.g., when “hello blue genie” is vocalized, activate Siri).
Regarding Claim 29, Usher discloses wherein communicating the information comprises at least one of:
displaying at least one text message to the user, the at least one text message indicative of the one or more words of the speech-including section;
providing at least one visual, audio, and/or tactile signal to the user, the at least one visual, audio, and/or tactile signal indicative of whether the speech-including section comprises a keyword, an identification of the keyword, and/or an importance of the keyword (¶73, when the keyword is detected, enact an action associated with the keyword; e.g., activate Siri when the phrase “hello blue genie” is vocalized);
providing at least one signal indicative of the audio information of the speech-including section to the user (¶79, when ambient sound includes target keyword phrase “hey john”, pass through the ambient sound and allow John to speak with name-calling friend); and
storing at least one signal indicative of the audio information of the speech-including section in memory circuitry, and subsequently retrieving the stored at least one signal from the memory circuitry and providing the stored at least one signal to the user (¶66, recording 1 minute of important announcement at the airport or important information in an incoming radio message into a buffer so that when the user hits a button on the app, the last 15 seconds of the buffer are reproduced via HearBud loudspeakers; see also Pedersen, ¶18).
Regarding Claim 30, Usher discloses wherein the plurality of options regarding communication of information indicative of the first segment to the recipient comprises at least one of:
at least one text message indicative of the one or more words of the first segment;
at least one signal indicative of the audio data of the first segment and communicated to the recipient (¶79, when ambient sound includes target keyword phrase “hey john”, pass through the ambient sound and allow John to speak with name-calling friend; see also Pedersen, ¶10, mute one other signal received by the hearing instrument during transmission of broadcasted message towards eardrum of the user of the hearing instrument to allow the user to concentrate on the announcements while possible distractions are reduced); and
at least one signal indicative of the audio data of the first segment and transmitted to memory circuitry to be stored and subsequently retrieved and communicated to the recipient (¶66, recording 1 minute of important announcement at the airport or important information in an incoming radio message into a buffer so that when the user hits a button on the app, the last 15 seconds of the buffer are reproduced via HearBud loudspeakers; see also Pedersen, ¶18).
Claims 10-12 and 31-35 are rejected under 35 USC 103(a) as being unpatentable over Usher et al. (US 2019/0278556 A1) and Pedersen et al. (EP 2804401 B1) as applied to claim 1, in view of Guo et al. (US 12028683 B2).
Regarding Claims 10-12, Usher does not disclose keyword generation circuitry configured to generate at least some keywords of the set of stored keywords.
Guo discloses a system comprising ear-worn / in-ear headphones communicating with mobile phones (Col 7, Rows 36-42) configured to detect keywords in external sounds acquired by a reference microphone to playback all or parts of the external sound (Col 7, Rows 46-51).
The system comprising keyword generation circuitry (Fig. 8, library establishment module 88 comprising an input module, a deletion module, or an adjustment module; see Col 22, Rows 55-62) configured to generate at least some keywords of a set of stored keywords (Col 20, Rows 5-10 and Col 22, Rows 63-67, user may enter keyword as a sample sound for a sample sound library), wherein the keyword generation circuitry is configured to receive input information from at least one keyword source and/or at least one importance source (Col 20, Rows 19-24, user may adjust priority of sample sound by setting weights according scenario per Col 22, Rows 66-67), wherein the input information from at least one keyword source and/or the at least one importance source comprise information provided by the recipient (Col 20, Rows 5-10 and Col 22, Rows 63-67, user may enter keyword as a sample sound for a sample sound library and adjust priority of sample sound).
It would’ve been obvious to one ordinarily skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to implement a keyword generation circuit to generate keywords of the set of stored keywords in order to establish a library (Guo, Col 3, Rows 37-44) of keywords / sample sounds such that when the system detects data that does not contain keywords / sample sounds in the library, a user can avoid hearing uninterested sounds (Guo, Col 8, Rows 35-40).
Regarding Claims 31-35, Usher does not disclose wherein the keyword detection circuitry is configured to determine a relevance of the first segments of the one or more electromagnetic wireless broadcast streams to a user of the apparatus.
Guo discloses a keyword detection circuitry (Col 7, Rows 40-45, headphones communicating with mobile phones / tablets / computers; Col 3, Rows 19-23, Col 4, Rows 55-57, and Col 17, Rows 47-66, using speech recognition or keyword recognition to judge whether external sounds contain sample sound in a sample sound library, the sample sound includes one or more keywords) configured to determine a relevance of the first segments of the one or more broadcast streams (Col 15, Rows 43-53, ambient sounds such as airport broadcasts and subway broadcasts; in view Col 13, Rows 14-20 and Col 17, Rows 32-35, each sample sound in a sample sound library is configured with a priority to distinguish the user’s levels of interest where in a travel scenario, broadcast information is configured with the highest priority) to a user of an apparatus (Col 8, Rows 59-64 and Col 9, Rows 61-64, separate part of external sounds that the user is interested in from all the external sounds; Col 15, Rows 15-19, when external sounds contain a plurality of sample sounds in sample sound library corresponding to a scenario, select target sound corresponding to the sample sound with the highest priority in the plurality of sample sounds for playback) by selecting the set of stored keywords to be accessed based, at least in part, on an identity of a currently-received electromagnetic wireless broadcast stream and/or an identity of a remote electromagnetic wireless broadcast system broadcasting the currently-received electromagnetic wireless broadcast stream (Col 9, Rows 28-44, using GPS, machine learning, and computer vision to determine the scenario where the user is located is the travel scenario with corresponding sample sound libraries where broadcast information is configured with the highest priority per Col 17, Rows 32-35; i.e., the identity of a currently received broadcast or remote broadcast system is an airport broadcast or subway broadcast based on user’s GPS location and/or machine learning / computer vision determination that user is located at the airport or subway);
wherein the keyword generation circuitry is configured to assign importance levels to the stored keywords (Col 15, Rows 15-19, select target sound corresponding to the sample sound with the highest priority in the plurality of sample sounds for playback), the importance levels assigned based at least in part on identity of the stored keywords (Col 13, Rows 23-29, in office scenario, user name has higher priority), user input (Col 20, Rows 5-8, user enters a keyword as a sample sound to establish sample sound library corresponding to the scenario; Col 20, Rows 19-20, user adjusts the priority), time of day (Col 8, Rows 31-43, user is located in a first scenario within a first time period and located in a second scenario within a second time period; Col 20, Rows 2-5, adjusting priority of sample sound according to the scenario), user's geographic location when the one or more electromagnetic wireless broadcast streams are received (Col 17, Rows 32-35, when the user is on a high-speed train or an airplane, configure broadcasts with the highest priority), and/or history of previous user input (Col 17, Rows 42-46, user adjusted priorities of sample sounds belonging to ambient sound);
wherein the decision circuitry is configured to assign importance levels to at least some of the first segments (Col 15, Rows 15-19, select target sound corresponding to the sample sound with the highest priority in the plurality of sample sounds for playback), the importance levels based at least in part on existence and/or identity of at least one stored keyword within the one or more words of the first segments (Col 13, Rows 23-29, in office scenario, user name has higher priority), user input (Col 20, Rows 5-8, user enters a keyword as a sample sound to establish sample sound library corresponding to the scenario; Col 20, Rows 19-20, user adjusts the priority), time of day (Col 8, Rows 31-43, user is located in a first scenario within a first time period and located in a second scenario within a second time period; Col 20, Rows 2-5, adjusting priority of sample sound according to the scenario), user's geographic location when the speech- including section is received (Col 17, Rows 32-35, when the user is on a high-speed train or an airplane, configure broadcasts with the highest priority), and/or history of previous user input (Col 17, Rows 42-46, user adjusted priorities of sample sounds belonging to ambient sound);
wherein the decision circuitry is configured to select among the plurality of options based on an importance level of the first segment (Col 15, Rows 15-19, select target sound corresponding to the sample sound with the highest priority in the plurality of sample sounds for playback; for example, Col 17, Rows 26-32, when external sounds contain car horns and a user name in the sample sound library, playback car horns instead of user name in the external sounds so that the user pays attention to the ambient sound that may cause danger).
It would’ve been obvious to one ordinarily skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to determine a relevance of the first segments of the one or more electromagnetic wireless broadcast streams to a user of the apparatus in order to separate external sounds that the user is interested in from all the external sounds (Guo, Col 8, Rows 61-64).
Claim 23 is rejected under 35 USC 103(a) as being unpatentable over Usher et al. (US 2019/0278556 A1) and Pedersen et al. (EP 2804401 B1) as applied to claim 14, in view of Lasky (US 10791404 B1).
Regarding Claim 23, Usher discloses wherein said communicating information is selected from the group consisting of:
displaying at least one text message to the user, the at least one text message indicative of the one or more words of the speech-including segment;
providing at least one visual, audio, and/or tactile signal to the user, the at least one visual, audio, and/or tactile signal indicative of whether the speech-including segment comprises a keyword, an identification of the keyword, and/or an importance of the keyword ((¶73, when the keyword is detected, enact an action associated with the keyword; e.g., activate Siri when the phrase “hello blue genie” is vocalized));
providing at least one signal indicative of the audio data of the speech-including segment to the use (¶79, when ambient sound includes target keyword phrase “hey john”, pass through the ambient sound and allow John to speak with name-calling friend); and
storing at least one signal indicative of the audio data of the speech-including segment in memory circuitry, and subsequently retrieving the stored at least one signal from the memory circuitry and providing the stored at least one signal to the user (¶66, recording 1 minute of important announcement at the airport or important information in an incoming radio message into a buffer so that when the user hits a button on the app, the last 15 seconds of the buffer are reproduced via HearBud loudspeakers; see also Pedersen, ¶18).
Usher does not disclose displaying at least one text message to the user, the at least one text message indicative of the one or more words of the speech-including segment and storing at least one signal indicative of the audio data of the speech-including segment in memory circuitry, and subsequently retrieving the stored at least one signal from the memory circuitry and providing the stored at least one signal to the user.
Lasky teaches a system comprising an assisted hearing device (Col 5, Rows 50-55) converting speech including segments into one or more words and displaying at least one text message comprising the one or more words to the user (Col 6, Rows 1-7, a processor performs text to speech to convert voice sounds to discrete words corresponding to words spoken by a speaker for output; i.e., Col 7, Rows 12-16, display to a user in text format) and storing at least one signal indicative of the audio data of the speech-including segment in memory circuitry (Col 6, Rows 8-13 and Rows 52-60, often occur common words prerecorded from speakers are stored in a data table / database), and subsequently retrieving the stored at least one signal from the memory circuitry and providing the stored at least one signal to the user (Col 6, Rows 30-37 and Col 7, Rows 4-7, when actual spoken words clarity level is unclear, using the database to generate substitute for speaker’s voice by matching discrete words to a database code to retrieve appropriate synthesized words as replacement for unclear spoken words for output).
It would’ve been obvious to one ordinarily skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to convert speech including segments into text messages comprising one or more words for display to the user or storing at least one signal indicative of the audio data of the speech-including segment in memory circuitry for subsequent retrieval in order to provide or display substitutes when speech including segments clarity level is unclear (Lasky, Col 6, Rows 30-37).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to examiner Richard Z. Zhu whose telephone number is 571-270-1587 or examiner’s supervisor Hai Phan whose telephone number is 571-272-6338. Examiner Richard Zhu can normally be reached on M-Th, 0730:1700.
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/RICHARD Z ZHU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2654 07/13/2026
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