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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of claim(s) 1-4, 7-9, 11-14, 17-21in the reply filed on 12/04/25 is acknowledged.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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)(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, 11, 21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a) (1) as being anticipated by Bernardini et al. (US 9,913,030 B2).
Claim 1, Bernardini et al. disclose of a method for directional processing of audio information in a digital signal processor for a microphone array, the method comprising: receiving an audio signal from each microphone of a microphone array, wherein the microphone array comprises at least two parallel pairs of microphones that are non-collinear with respect to each other, wherein a first pair of microphones comprises a first microphone and a second microphone and a second pair of microphones comprises a third microphone and a fourth microphone, and wherein each microphone is arranged on a plane (fig.3 (M1-M4); {M1-M2; M3-M4} ; col.3 line 22-26); applying a first time delay to the audio signal from the one microphone, and subtracting the delayed audio signal of the delay microphone from the audio signal from the first microphone to determine an audio signal associated with the first pair of microphones (fig.3 (M1-M2, 15); col.2 line 29-33; col.3 line 25-30/at level one, one delay microphone (M4) is subtracted from the other microphone (M3)) & applying a second time delay to the audio signal from the other microphone, and subtracting the delayed audio signal of the other microphone from the audio signal from the third microphone to determine an audio signal associated with the second pair of microphones ((fig.3 (M3-M4, 15); col.2 line 29-33; col.3 line 25-30/at level one, one delay microphone (M2) is subtracted from the other microphone (M1)); applying a third time delay to the audio signal associated with the second pair of microphones, and subtracting the delayed audio signal associated with the second pair of microphones from the audio signal associated with the first pair of microphones to determine an audio signal associated with the microphone array (fig.3 (15, L3);the subtractor & delay (z) at L3 related to (M3-M4) represent such third time delay being subtracted to determine such audio signal) and wherein the first, second and third time delays are configured to control the directionality of the audio signal associated with the microphone array (col.2 line 28-32) .
11.(Original)An apparatus for directional processing of audio information for a microphone array, the apparatus comprising: one or more inputs, configured to receive an audio signal from each microphone of a microphone array, wherein the microphone array comprises at least two parallel pairs of microphones that are non-collinear with respect to each other, wherein a first pair of microphones comprises a first microphone and a second microphone and a second pair of microphones comprises third microphone and a fourth microphone (fig.3 (M1-M4); {M1-M2; M3-M4} ; col.3 line 22-26), and wherein each microphone is arranged on a plane; and a digital signal processor, configured to apply a first time delay to the audio signal from the second microphone, and to subtract the delayed audio signal of the second microphone from the audio signal from the first microphone to determine an audio signal associated with the first pair of microphones (fig.3 (M1-M2, 15); col.2 line 29-33; col.3 line 25-30/at level one, one delay microphone (M4) is subtracted from the other microphone (M3)); and configured to apply a second time delay to the audio signal from the fourth microphone, and to subtract the delayed audio signal of the fourth microphone from the audio signal from the third microphone to determine an audio signal associated with the second pair of microphones (fig.3 (M3-M4, 15); col.2 line 29-33; col.3 line 25-30/at level one, one delay microphone (M4) is subtracted from the other microphone (M3)); and configured to apply a third time delay to the audio signal associated with the second pair of microphones, and to subtract the delayed audio signal associated with the second pair of microphones from the audio signal associated with the first pair of microphones to determine an audio signal associated with the microphone array (fig.3 (15, L3);the subtractor & delay (z) at L3 related to (M3-M4) represent such third time delay being subtracted to determine such audio signal); wherein the first, second and third time delays are configured to control the directionality of the audio signal associated with the microphone array (3col.2 line 28-32) .
21.(Previously Presented)A system for directional processing of audio information for a microphone array, the system comprising: a microphone array comprising at least two parallel pairs of microphones that are non- collinear with respect to each other, wherein a first pair of microphones comprises a first microphone and a second microphone and a second pair of microphones comprises third microphone and a fourth microphone array and wherein each microphone is arranged on a plane; and the apparatus of claim 11 (fig.3; col.2 line 29-33; col.3 line 25-30).
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) 2-3, 7, 12-13, 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bernardini et al. (US 9,913,030 B2).
Claim 2, the method of claim 1, although, the prior art never mentioned as wherein the first time delay is set based on a relative distance between the first and second microphones, the second time delay is set based on a relative distance between the third and fourth microphones, and third time delay is set based on a relative distance between the first pair of microphones and the second pair of microphones.
However, it shall be noted one of the ordinary skills in the art could have modified the distance and delay which are related as mentioned (col.2 line 20-60) by specifying if desired such the first time delay is set based on a relative distance between the first and second microphones, the second time delay is set based on a relative distance between the third and fourth microphones, and third time delay is set based on a relative distance between the first pair of microphones and the second pair of microphones for achieving the predictable result as to determine proper desired directional sound accordingly.
Claim 3, the method of claim 1, but the art never specify as wherein a distance between the microphones in a pair of microphones is uniform across the pairs of microphones , and wherein the first time delay and the second time delay are equal.
However, it shall be noted one of the ordinary skills in the art could have modified the distance and delay which are mentioned (col.2 line 20-60) by specifying if desired such distance between the microphones in a pair of microphones is uniform across the pairs of microphones , and wherein the first time delay and the second time delay are equal for achieving the predictable result as to determine proper desired directional sound accordingly.
7. (Currently Amended) The method of claim 1, wherein the determined audio signal associated with the microphone array corresponds to a given direction based on [[the ]]a value of the first, second and third time delays (col.2 line 29-32); although, the art never directly mentioned of the method further comprising: iteratively adjusting the first, second and third time delays and determining a plurality of corresponding audio signals associated with the iteratively adjusted first, second and third time delays; and comparing the plurality of corresponding audio signals to determine the direction most closely corresponding to a desired sound signature or source.
But, one of the ordinary skills in the art could have varied the delays which is related o directional of sounds as mentioned by the art by further adjusting the delays including iteratively adjusting the first, second and third time delays and determining a plurality of corresponding audio signals associated with the iteratively adjusted first, second and third time delays; and comparing the plurality of corresponding audio signals to determine the direction most closely corresponding to a desired sound signature or source for achieving the predictable result as to determine proper desired directional sound accordingly.
The machine claim(s) 12-13, 17 which in substance disclose of the same limitation as in claim(s) 2-3, 7 have been analyzed and rejected accordingly.
Claim(s) 4, 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bernardini et al. (US 9,913,030 B2) and Elko et al. (US 10, 659,873 B2).
4. (Currently Amended) The method of claim 1, but none of the provided prior art disclose as wherein the microphone array comprises two pairs of microphones and the first, second, third and fourth microphones are arranged at [[the ]]vertices of a parallelogram.
But it shall be noted the following arts as in Elko et al. disclose of similar concept related to microphone array comprises two pairs of microphones and the first, second, third and fourth microphones are arranged at various locations around the parallelogram (fig.7A ; col.15 line 15-67). thus, one of the ordinary skills in the art could have modified the prior art by adding such microphone configuration which include such concept related to microphone array comprises two pairs of microphones and the first, second, third and fourth microphones are arranged at various locations around the parallelogram so as to provide the desired spatial signal associated with the device.
Although, the prior art never limit the aspect regarding the first, second, third and fourth microphones are arranged at vertices of the parallelogram, but one of the ordinary skills in the art could have varied the configuration of the microphones according to the device by adding if desired such first, second, third and fourth microphones are arranged at vertices of the parallelogram for achieving the same result as per engineering preference.
The machine claim(s) 14 which in substance disclose of the same limitation as in claim(s) 4 have been analyzed and rejected accordingly.
Claim(s) 8-9, 18-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bernardini et al. (US 9,913,030 B2) and Chang et al. (US 10,873,805 B2).
8. (Currently Amended) The method of claim 1,further comprising determining one or more respective audio signals associated with one or more corresponding further microphone arrays arranged on the plane, and combining each audio signal associated with the microphone arrays to determine an audio signal associated with an array of the microphone arrays (Ber-fig.3).
However, none of the provided art specify of using beamforming algorithm. However, Chang et al.. disclose of an audio processing associated with microphone array which comprises using beamforming algorithm (ch-col.7 line 1-10). Thus, one of the ordinary skills in the art could have modified the prior art by adding such aspect related to using beamforming algorithm so as to emphasize sound at a particular location.
The machine claim(s) 18 which in substance disclose of the same limitation as in claim(s) 8 have been analyzed and rejected accordingly.
9. (Original) The method of claim 8, wherein the beamforming algorithm is a delay and sum beamforming algorithm (ch-col.7 line 1-10).
The machine claim(s) 19 which in substance disclose of the same limitation as in claim(s) 9 have been analyzed and rejected accordingly.
Claim(s) 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bernardini et al. (US 9,913,030 B2) and Chang et al. (US 10,873,805 B2) and Elko et al. (US 10, 659,873 B2).
20. (Currently Amended) The apparatus of claim 18, but the prior art never specify as wherein [[the ]]a plurality of microphone arrays are tessellated together such that at least one microphone is shared between two adjacent microphone arrays.
However, the concept of having a plurality of microphone arrays are tessellated together such that at least one microphone is shared between two adjacent microphone arrays is noted therein (fig.7A (705-708); col.15 line 15-67). thus, one of the ordinary skills in the art could have modified the prior art by adding such microphone configuration which include such concept related to microphone arrays are tessellated together such that at least one microphone is shared between two adjacent microphone arrays so as to provide the desired spatial signal associated varied configurations.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DISLER PAUL whose telephone number is (571)270-1187. The examiner can normally be reached 9:00-6:00 M-F.
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/DISLER PAUL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2695