DETAILED ACTION
The action is responsive to the Application filed on 03/26/2024. Claims 1-15 are pending in the case. Claims 1 and 9 are independent claims.
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 Interpretation
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(f) Element in Claim for a Combination. – An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The claims in this application are given their broadest reasonable interpretation using the plain meaning of the claim language in light of the specification as it would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. The broadest reasonable interpretation of a claim element (also commonly referred to as a claim limitation) is limited by the description in the specification when 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is invoked.
As explained in MPEP § 2181, subsection I, claim limitations that meet the following three-prong test will be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
(A) the claim limitation uses the term “means” or “step” or a term used as a substitute for “means” that is a generic placeholder (also called a nonce term or a non-structural term having no specific structural meaning) for performing the claimed function;
(B) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is modified by functional language, typically, but not always linked by the transition word “for” (e.g., “means for”) or another linking word or phrase, such as “configured to” or “so that”; and
(C) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is not modified by sufficient structure, material, or acts for performing the claimed function.
Use of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim with functional language creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites sufficient structure, material, or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Absence of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is not to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is not interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites function without reciting sufficient structure, material or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Claim limitations in this application that use the word “means” (or “step”) are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action. Conversely, claim limitations in this application that do not use the word “means” (or “step”) are not being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action.
This application includes one or more claim limitations that do not use the word “means,” but are nonetheless being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because the claim limitation(s) uses a generic placeholder that is coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure to perform the recited function and the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier. Such claim limitation(s) is/are: "a distance measuring unit configured to obtain" and “a controller configured to adaptively determine” in claim 1.
Because this/these claim limitation(s) is/are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, it/they is/are being interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification as performing the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
If applicant does not intend to have this/these limitation(s) interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, applicant may: (1) amend the claim limitation(s) to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph (e.g., by reciting sufficient structure to perform the claimed function); or (2) present a sufficient showing that the claim limitation(s) recite(s) sufficient structure to perform the claimed function so as to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, 2, 4, 5, 8-10, 12 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and (a)(2) as being anticipated by Boothe et al. (US 20230217204 A1, hereinafter Boothe).
As to claim 1, Boothe discloses a device configured to control a volume level of personalized voice guidance, the device comprising:
a distance measuring unit configured to obtain information on a distance between an occupant of a vehicle and a seat of the vehicle from a signal generated from the vehicle ("In one or more implementations, that apparatus 100 may determine the location of the head 412 of the occupant 410. In one or more implementations, the apparatus 100 may also, or alternatively, determine the location of the left ear 414 of the occupant 410 and/or the location of the right ear 416 of the occupant 410. In one or more implementations, the apparatus 100 may determine the location of the head 412, the left ear 414, and/or the right ear 416 of the occupant 410 as an absolute location in a coordinate system anchored to the apparatus 100, the sensors 113, the camera(s) 111, and/or the enclosure 108. In one or more implementations, the apparatus 100 may determine the location of the head 412, the left ear 414, and/or the right ear 416 of the occupant 410 as a relative location, such as a location defined by one or more distances relative to known locations of objects (e.g., the headrest 330-1 and/or each of several speakers disposed therein) within the enclosure 108," Boothe paragraph 0057; “Determining the location may include capturing one or more images using one or more cameras 111 (e.g., one or more visible wavelength cameras, one or more infrared cameras, and/or one or more visible wavelength light sources and/or one or more infrared light sources), and/or obtaining other scene information (e.g., depth sensing and/or scene mapping information) using one or more sensors 113,” Boothe paragraph 0077);
a speaker configured to output voice guidance related to the occupant ("As shown, the seat 300 includes a headrest 330-1. In various implementations, the headrest 330-1 may be permanently or removably attached to the seat back 302, or may be formed for a portion of the seat back 302. In the example of FIG. 3, headrest 330-1 includes multiple speakers mounted thereto," Boothe paragraph 0048; "In one or more use cases, it may be desirable to provide audio content to one or more occupants within the enclosed environment 131. The audio content may include general audio content intended for all of the occupants and/or personalized audio content for one or a subset of the occupants. The audio content may be generated by the apparatus 100, or received by the apparatus from an external source or from a portable electronic device within the enclosed environment 131. For example, in implementations in which the apparatus 100 includes speakers (e.g., headrest speakers) disposed such that an occupant's head may be disposed within the near field of the speakers, it may be desirable operate those speakers to generate personalized audio output (notifications for that particular occupant, or surround and/or ambience channel output) that is audible by an occupant in the seat having the headrest, and not by other occupants within the enclosure 108. In these and/or other use cases, it may be desirable to be able to adjust the audio output of one or more headrest speakers based on a location of the occupant's head, and/or a portion thereof (e.g., a location of one or both of the occupant's ears)," Boothe paragraph 0027); and
a controller configured to adaptively determine a volume level of the speaker based on the information on the distance between the occupant and the seat measured by the distance measuring unit ("In the example of FIG. 5, the head 412 of the occupant 410 (e.g., and both the left ear 414 and the right ear 416 of the occupant 410) has moved from a first distance 502 from the headrest 330-1 to a second distance 504, further from the headrest 330-1, both the first distance 502 and the second distance 504 being within the near field of the speakers (e.g., the tweeters 118-T and the woofer 118-W) mounted to the headrest 330-1. In this example, the apparatus 100 may increase the volume, reduce a delay time, and/or modify a binaural reverb of the audio output 400, the audio output 402, and the audio output 404 to compensate for the increased distance to the occupant's head and ears," Booth paragraph 0063; “While the above discussion primarily refers to microprocessor or multi-core processors that execute software,” Boothe paragraph 0118).
As to claim 2, Boothe further discloses the device of claim 1, wherein based on that there are two or more occupants in the vehicle, the controller outputs voice guidance personalized for each of the two or more occupants ("In one or more use cases, it may be desirable to provide audio content to one or more occupants within the enclosed environment 131. The audio content may include general audio content intended for all of the occupants and/or personalized audio content for one or a subset of the occupants. The audio content may be generated by the apparatus 100, or received by the apparatus from an external source or from a portable electronic device within the enclosed environment 131. For example, in implementations in which the apparatus 100 includes speakers (e.g., headrest speakers) disposed such that an occupant's head may be disposed within the near field of the speakers, it may be desirable operate those speakers to generate personalized audio output (notifications for that particular occupant, or surround and/or ambience channel output) that is audible by an occupant in the seat having the headrest, and not by other occupants within the enclosure 108. In these and/or other use cases, it may be desirable to be able to adjust the audio output of one or more headrest speakers based on a location of the occupant's head, and/or a portion thereof (e.g., a location of one or both of the occupant's ears)," Booth paragraph 0027).
As to claim 4, Boothe further discloses the device of claim 1, wherein a location at which the voice guidance is output corresponds to the speaker mounted on the seat ("As shown, the seat 300 includes a headrest 330-1. In various implementations, the headrest 330-1 may be permanently or removably attached to the seat back 302, or may be formed for a portion of the seat back 302. In the example of FIG. 3, headrest 330-1 includes multiple speakers mounted thereto," Boothe paragraph 0048).
As to claim 5, Boothe further discloses the device of claim 1, wherein the speaker includes at least one directional speaker ("In the example of FIG. 3, wide arrows indicate a direction in which a speaker substantially faces (e.g., the direction toward which a sound-generating element of a speaker is physically directed)," Boothe paragraph 0050; "In this example, the speaker 118 disposed between the seat 300 and the seat 312, and the speaker 118 disposed between the seat 310 and the seat 314 may be implemented as a directional speaker (e.g., a directional speaker having one or more sound-suppressing acoustic ducts, a dual-directional speaker having a pair of acoustic ducts, or an isobaric cross-firing speaker, or any other directional speaker), configured to direct audio output toward one or more particular locations within the enclosed environment 131," Boothe paragraph 0052), and
wherein the directional speaker includes a vibrator and a vibrating plate ("For example, in one or more implementations, the speaker 118 may be implemented with an acoustic port through which sound (e.g., generated by a moving diaphragm or other sound-generating component) is projected," Boothe paragraph 0043).
As to claim 8, Boothe further discloses the device of claim 1, wherein the distance measuring unit and the speaker are mounted on the seat (“the processor 190 may process an audio signal from microphone 119, and may use the audio signal to operate one or more speakers, such as speaker 118, mounted in a headrest of a seat within the enclosure 108,” Boothe paragraph 0040; “sensors 113 (e.g., an inertial sensor, such as one or more accelerometers, one or more gyroscopes, and/or one or more magnetometers, radar sensors, ranging sensor such as LIDAR sensors, depth sensors, temperature sensors, humidity sensors, etc. which may also be implemented in the other components 132 of FIG. 1),” Boothe paragraph 0032; “The other component 132 may include, as examples, one or more displays, microphones, or more cameras, and/or one or more sensors. The cameras and/or sensors may be used to identify an occupant within the enclosed environment 131, to determine the location of an occupant within the enclosed environment 131, and/or to determine the location of at least a portion of a head (e.g., the entire head or one or both ears) of an occupant within the enclosed environment 131. It is also contemplated that one or more safety components 116, one or more speakers 118, and/or one or more other components 132 may also, and/or alternatively, be mounted to the enclosure 108, and/or to and/or within one or more other structures of the apparatus 100,” Boothe paragraph 0025; “In various implementations, the apparatus 100 may be implemented as a stationary apparatus (e.g., a conference room or other room within a building) or a moveable apparatus (e.g., a vehicle such as a train car, an airplane, an autonomous vehicle, a boat, a ship, a helicopter, etc.) that can be temporarily occupied by one or more human occupants and/or one or more portable electronic devices. In one or more implementations, (although not shown in FIG. 1), the apparatus 100 may include one or more seats for one or more occupants,” Boothe paragraph 0026, sensors to measure distance can be mounted on the to any structure in the apparatus where one structure in the apparatus is a seat).
As to claim 9, Boothe discloses a method of controlling, by a voice guidance control device, a volume level of personalized voice guidance, the method comprising:
obtaining information on a distance between an occupant of a vehicle and a seat of the vehicle from a signal generated from the vehicle ("In one or more implementations, that apparatus 100 may determine the location of the head 412 of the occupant 410. In one or more implementations, the apparatus 100 may also, or alternatively, determine the location of the left ear 414 of the occupant 410 and/or the location of the right ear 416 of the occupant 410. In one or more implementations, the apparatus 100 may determine the location of the head 412, the left ear 414, and/or the right ear 416 of the occupant 410 as an absolute location in a coordinate system anchored to the apparatus 100, the sensors 113, the camera(s) 111, and/or the enclosure 108. In one or more implementations, the apparatus 100 may determine the location of the head 412, the left ear 414, and/or the right ear 416 of the occupant 410 as a relative location, such as a location defined by one or more distances relative to known locations of objects (e.g., the headrest 330-1 and/or each of several speakers disposed therein) within the enclosure 108," Boothe paragraph 0057; “Determining the location may include capturing one or more images using one or more cameras 111 (e.g., one or more visible wavelength cameras, one or more infrared cameras, and/or one or more visible wavelength light sources and/or one or more infrared light sources), and/or obtaining other scene information (e.g., depth sensing and/or scene mapping information) using one or more sensors 113,” Boothe paragraph 0077); and
outputting voice guidance related to the occupant ("As shown, the seat 300 includes a headrest 330-1. In various implementations, the headrest 330-1 may be permanently or removably attached to the seat back 302, or may be formed for a portion of the seat back 302. In the example of FIG. 3, headrest 330-1 includes multiple speakers mounted thereto," Boothe paragraph 0048; "In one or more use cases, it may be desirable to provide audio content to one or more occupants within the enclosed environment 131. The audio content may include general audio content intended for all of the occupants and/or personalized audio content for one or a subset of the occupants. The audio content may be generated by the apparatus 100, or received by the apparatus from an external source or from a portable electronic device within the enclosed environment 131. For example, in implementations in which the apparatus 100 includes speakers (e.g., headrest speakers) disposed such that an occupant's head may be disposed within the near field of the speakers, it may be desirable operate those speakers to generate personalized audio output (notifications for that particular occupant, or surround and/or ambience channel output) that is audible by an occupant in the seat having the headrest, and not by other occupants within the enclosure 108. In these and/or other use cases, it may be desirable to be able to adjust the audio output of one or more headrest speakers based on a location of the occupant's head, and/or a portion thereof (e.g., a location of one or both of the occupant's ears)," Boothe paragraph 0027),
wherein a volume level of the voice guidance is adaptively determined based on the information on the distance between the occupant and the seat ("In the example of FIG. 5, the head 412 of the occupant 410 (e.g., and both the left ear 414 and the right ear 416 of the occupant 410) has moved from a first distance 502 from the headrest 330-1 to a second distance 504, further from the headrest 330-1, both the first distance 502 and the second distance 504 being within the near field of the speakers (e.g., the tweeters 118-T and the woofer 118-W) mounted to the headrest 330-1. In this example, the apparatus 100 may increase the volume, reduce a delay time, and/or modify a binaural reverb of the audio output 400, the audio output 402, and the audio output 404 to compensate for the increased distance to the occupant's head and ears," Booth paragraph 0063; “While the above discussion primarily refers to microprocessor or multi-core processors that execute software,” Boothe paragraph 0118).
As to claim 10, it is substantially similar to claim 2 and is therefore rejected using the same rationale as above.
As to claim 12, it is substantially similar to claim 4 and is therefore rejected using the same rationale as above.
As to claim 13, it is substantially similar to claim 5 and is therefore rejected using the same rationale as above.
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.
Claims 3 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Boothe et al. (US 20230217204 A1, hereinafter Boothe) in view of Di Censo et al. (US 20180295462 A1, hereinafter Di Censo).
As to claim 3, Boothe further discloses the device of claim 1, wherein the signal generated from the vehicle includes a signal transmitted from the distance measuring unit mounted on the seat of the vehicle ("In some examples, sensors 113 may include radar sensor(s) configured to emit radar signals, and to receive and detect reflections of the emitted radar signals from one or more objects in the environment around the enclosure 108," Boothe paragraph 0040; “sensors 113 (e.g., an inertial sensor, such as one or more accelerometers, one or more gyroscopes, and/or one or more magnetometers, radar sensors, ranging sensor such as LIDAR sensors, depth sensors, temperature sensors, humidity sensors, etc. which may also be implemented in the other components 132 of FIG. 1),” Boothe paragraph 0032; “The other component 132 may include, as examples, one or more displays, microphones, or more cameras, and/or one or more sensors. The cameras and/or sensors may be used to identify an occupant within the enclosed environment 131, to determine the location of an occupant within the enclosed environment 131, and/or to determine the location of at least a portion of a head (e.g., the entire head or one or both ears) of an occupant within the enclosed environment 131. It is also contemplated that one or more safety components 116, one or more speakers 118, and/or one or more other components 132 may also, and/or alternatively, be mounted to the enclosure 108, and/or to and/or within one or more other structures of the apparatus 100,” Boothe paragraph 0025; “In various implementations, the apparatus 100 may be implemented as a stationary apparatus (e.g., a conference room or other room within a building) or a moveable apparatus (e.g., a vehicle such as a train car, an airplane, an autonomous vehicle, a boat, a ship, a helicopter, etc.) that can be temporarily occupied by one or more human occupants and/or one or more portable electronic devices. In one or more implementations, (although not shown in FIG. 1), the apparatus 100 may include one or more seats for one or more occupants,” Boothe paragraph 0026, sensors to measure distance can be mounted on the to any structure in the apparatus where one structure in the apparatus is a seat), and
wherein the distance measuring unit determines the distance information based on information on a round-trip time of the signal reflected by the occupant ("In some examples, sensors 113 may include radar sensor(s) configured to emit radar signals, and to receive and detect reflections of the emitted radar signals from one or more objects in the environment around the enclosure 108," Boothe paragraph 0040).
However Boothe does not appear to explicitly disclose a limitation wherein the signal generated from the vehicle includes an ultrasonic signal transmitted from the distance measuring unit.
Di Censo discloses a limitation wherein the signal generated from the vehicle includes an ultrasonic signal transmitted from the distance measuring unit (“For example, and without limitation, when the audio system 100 determines (e.g., via a sensor 120) that the head of the user is turned to the right, the audio system 100 may infer that, relative to a sensor 120 located on the right shoulder of the user, the position of the right ear of the user has moved to the left. In response, the highly-directional speaker 110 positioned on the right shoulder of the user may pan to the left in order to target the new position of the right ear of the user. In some embodiments, the audio system 100 can vary the volume of each of the highly-directional speakers 110 according to the head/ear position and/or the distance between the highly-directional speaker 110 and the ear so that the user perceives himself or herself as being at the center of an augmented sound space (e.g., the center of a stereo sound space),” Di Censo paragraph 0021; “The sensors 120 may implement any sensing technique that is capable of tracking the ear(s) and/or head of a user. In some embodiments, the sensors 120 include a visual sensor, such as a camera (e.g., a stereoscopic camera). In such embodiments, the sensors 120 may be further configured to perform object recognition in order to determine the position and/or orientation of an ear and/or head of the user. Additionally, in some embodiments, the sensors 120 include ultrasonic sensors, radar sensors, laser sensors, thermal sensors, and/or depth sensors, such as time-of-flight sensors, structured light sensors, and the like,” Di Censo paragraph 0024).
Accordingly it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Boothe to use ultrasonic signals from a distance measuring unit as taught by Di Censo. One would have been motivated to make such a combination so that the finished product could support more kinds of distance sensors thus allowing the finished product to be used with more seats or vehicles, such as those that have an ultrasonic sensor but lack a radar or lidar sensor.
As to claim 11, it is substantially similar to claim 3 and is therefore rejected using the same rationale as above.
Claims 6 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Boothe et al. (US 20230217204 A1, hereinafter Boothe) in view of Tanabe et al. (US 20230311732 A1, hereinafter Tanabe).
As to claim 6, Boothe further discloses the device of claim 5, wherein the concentration of the voice guidance is determined based on a spacing between the speakers (“However, because the headrest speakers can be located close to the head of a user/occupant in the seat having the headrest, the user's head and ears may be located within the near field of the headrest speakers. When the user's head and ears are located within the near field of the headrest speakers, movement of the user's head and/or ears can have a noticeable effect on the acoustic experience of the user/occupant. For example, in the near field, the audio output received by the user/occupant can change by approximately one decibel for each centimeter of head and/or ear movement… Similarly, when an occupant seated in a seat having speakers mounted in a headrest of the seat moves in certain ways (e.g., by turning their head), the balance between some of the speakers mounted in the headrest and other speakers mounted in the headrest can also change in a way that is noticeable to the occupant,” Boothe paragraph 0021; “In the example of FIG. 5, the occupant's head 412 has moved uniformly away from the headrest 330-1 such that the left ear 414 and the right ear 416 have both moved away from the headrest 330-1 by the same distance. FIG. 6 illustrates another use case in which the occupant 410 has turned their head 412 (e.g., by an angle A). In this example use case, the occupant's left ear 414 has moved away from the headrest 330-1 and the occupant's right ear 416 has moved toward the headrest 330-1. In this example, the apparatus 100 may modify an audio output of one of the speakers mounted in the headrest 330-1 relative to another of the speakers mounted in the headrest 330-1 based on a determined location of the head 412 (e.g., based on a determination that the orientation of the head 412 has changed and/or a determination that the left ear 414 and the right ear 416 have moved differently). For example, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the apparatus 100 may increase the volume of the audio output 400 and decrease the volume of the audio output 402 to compensate, respectively, for the increased distance of the left ear 414 and the decreased distance of the right ear 416 of the occupant 410 from the headrest 330-1 and/or the speakers mounted therein,” Boothe paragraph 0066; “In one or more implementations, the apparatus 100 may also adjust the timing of the audio output 400 relative to the timing of the audio output 402 to compensate for the increased distance of the left ear 414 and the decreased distance of the right ear 416 of the occupant 410 from the headrest 330-1 and/or the speakers mounted therein. For example, the apparatus 100 may decrease a delay time of the audio output 400 and increase a delay time of the audio output 402 to compensate for the increased distance of the left ear 414 and the decreased distance of the right ear 416 of the occupant 410 from the headrest 330-1. In this manner, the apparatus 100 can cause the same audio content in the audio output 400, the audio output 402, and the audio output 404 (e.g., and the audio output 406 of FIG. 4) to arrive at the ears of the occupant 410 at substantially the same time. In one or more implementations, the apparatus 100 may also adjust a binaural reverb of the audio output 400, the audio output 402, and/or the audio output 404 to compensate for the increased distance of the left ear 414 and the decreased distance of the right ear 416 of the occupant 410 from the headrest 330-1 and/or the speakers mounted therein,” Boothe paragraph 0067, changing the volume and delay of the speakers to maintain acoustic balance and the directionality (i.e., concentration) of the sound).
However Boothe does not appear to explicitly disclose a limitation wherein the vibrator related to concentration of the voice guidance includes two or more bone conduction speakers.
Tanabe teaches a limitation wherein the vibrator related to concentration of the voice guidance includes two or more bone conduction speakers (“The audio system 401 may include a bone conduction speaker 422 installed in a headrest H, in addition to the speakers described above. When determining that the head of a seated person is in contact with the headrest H based on the distance acquired by the distance measuring sensor 421, the control device 404 may provide sound output from the bone conduction speaker 422 in place of the speakers described above. The control device 404 may move the headrest H to bring the headrest H into contact with the head, neck, and shoulders of a seated person before providing sound output from the bone conduction speaker 422,” Tanabe paragraph 0192).
Accordingly it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Boothe to use bone conduction speakers as taught by Tanabe. One would have been motivated to make such a combination to further ensure that sound is conveyed only to the relevant seated person, thus reducing annoyance for other seated persons listening to other audio (Tanabe paragraph 0192).
As to claim 14, it is substantially similar to claim 6 and is therefore rejected using the same rationale as above.
Claims 7 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Boothe et al. (US 20230217204 A1, hereinafter Boothe) in view of Qi et al. (US 20210152945 A1, hereinafter Qi)..
As to claim 7, Boothe discloses the device of claim 5, however Booth does not appear to explicitly disclose a limitation wherein the vibrating plate related to sound quality of the voice guidance includes carbon fibers.
Qi teaches a limitation wherein the vibrating plate related to sound quality of the voice guidance includes carbon fibers ("Preferably, the first vibration conductive plate may be an elastic plate, and the elasticity may be determined based on the material, thickness, structure, or the like. The material of the first vibration conductive plate may include but not limited to steel (for example but not limited to, stainless steel, carbon steel, etc.), light alloy (for example but not limited to, aluminum, beryllium copper, magnesium alloy, titanium alloy, etc.), plastic (for example but not limited to, polyethylene, nylon blow molding, plastic, etc.). It may be a single material or a composite material that achieve the same performance. The composite material may include but not limited to reinforced material, such as glass fiber, carbon fiber," Qi paragraph 0052).
Accordingly it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Boothe to use carbon fibers in the vibrating plate as taught by Qi. One would have been motivated to make such a combination to enhance the sensitivity of the speaker in lower frequencies thus improving the quality of the sound (Qi paragraph 0052).
As to claim 15, it is substantially similar to claim 7 and is therefore rejected using the same rationale as above.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
US 20210029452 A1 to Tsoi et al. discloses modifying and transferring audio between devices where multiple speakers output audio and where a position of the user relative to the speakers is determined using ultrasonic distance sensors to change the volume of each speaker.
US 20170359650 A1 to Wexler et al. discloses systems and methods for directing audio output of a wearable apparatus where an apparatus mounted to a vehicle uses ultrasonic sensors to determine the distance of the user to the apparatus and modifying the volume of audio output from the apparatus based on the distance; and
US 20150010169 A1 to Popova discloses apparatus, systems and methods for adjusting output audio volume based on user location where ultrasonic sensors are used to determine a distance of a user from an audio output device and modifying the volume from the output device depending on the distance of the user.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIEL SAMWEL whose telephone number is (313)446-6549. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Thursday 8:00-6:00 EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Kieu Vu can be reached at (571) 272-4057. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DANIEL SAMWEL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2171