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 .
1. This communication in response to CON application filed 05/09/2024
Information Disclosure Statement
2. The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the Examiner.
Priority
3. the Examiner notes that a foreign priority claim is asserted, however, the foreign priority application was not available for review and therefore the priority claims could not be verified by the Examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
4. 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)(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.
Claim(s) 1, 16, 19, 27 and 29 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by ERONEN et al. (Pub.No.: 2021/0287651 A1).
Regarding claim 1, ERONEN teaches a renderer for rendering a virtual audio scene (reads on rendering systems, wherein audio scene may be a captured or virtual audio scene, see [0062]) depending on one or more audio channels of each sound source of one or more sound sources emitting sound into the virtual audio scene (audio scene may comprise... audio elements... objects, channels/ one or more audio signal...objects and/or channels, see [0083] and [0110]), wherein, to process the one or more audio channels of said sound source (decoder/render...configured to decode and/ or render the audio scene, see [0064] and [0112]), the renderer comprises:
a late reverberation module configured for generating one or more late reverberation channels (reads on late reverberation...generated ...using a feedback delay network (FDN), see [0007], [0118] and [0150]) depending on the one or more audio channels of the sound source (reads on late reverberation...based on...guide signal/input signal...to FDN, see [0118] and [0150]), wherein the one or more late reverberation channels represent a late-reverberation part of the sound emitted into the virtual audio scene by the sound source (late reverberation refers to ...diffuse reverberation of the sound, see [0007] and [0093]), and
a sound scene generator for generating, using the one or more late-reverberation channels, one or more audio output channels for reproducing the virtual audio scene (reads on decoder/render...render the audio scene...output to headphones or loudspeakers, see [0112] and [0083]), wherein the late reverberation module is configured to generate the one or more late reverberation channels depending on the one or more audio channels of the sound source depending on a distance between the sound source and a listener in the virtual audio scene (late reverberation parameters...derived from virtual scene geometry ...positions of sources/listener, see [0100] and [0145]).
Independent claims 19 and 27 are rejected for the same reasons addressed in independent claim 1. For the claimed “decoder” as recited in claim 19, this reads on decoder/render as discussed in [0064].
Regarding claim 16, ERONEN teaches wherein the one or more audio channels of a sound source of the one or more sound sources are represented in an Ambisonics Domain, and wherein the sound scene generator is configured to reproduce the virtual audio scene depending on a property of one of a plurality of Spherical Harmonics, being associated with one of the one or more audio channels of said sound source, or
wherein the one or more audio channels of said sound source are represented in a different domain being different from the Ambisonics Domain, wherein said one or more audio channels of said sound source are derived from one or more other channels of said sound source being represented in the Ambisonics domain, wherein each audio channel of the one or more audio channels is derived from one of the one or more other channels depending on a property of one of a plurality of Spherical Harmonics, being associated with said other channel, or
wherein the renderer comprises a binauralizer configured to generate two audio output channels for reproducing the virtual audio scene depending on the one or more late-reverberation channels (reads on render for rendering a virtual audio scene, see [0216] and [0220] and rendering audio to a binaural output comprising two audio output channels, see [0194] and [0220]), or
wherein a bitstream comprises the one or more audio channels of each sound source of the one or more sound sources, wherein the renderer is configured to receive the bitstream and is configured to acquire the one or more audio channels of each sound source of the one or more sound sources from the bitstream; or
the renderer is configured to receive the one or more audio channels of each sound source of the one or more sound sources from another unit that has received the bitstream and that has acquired the one or more audio channels of each sound source of the one or more sound sources from the bitstream.
Dependent claim 29 is rejected for the same reasons set forth with respect to independent claim 27. (Currently Amended) A non-transitory digital storage medium having a computer program stored thereon to perform the method of claim 27 for listener when said computer program is run by a computer.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
5. 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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 2-3, 5-9, 11-13, 15, 21, 23, 28 and 30 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ERONEN et al.
Claim 2 recites “wherein the late reverberation module is configured to generate the one or more late reverberation channels depending on the one or more audio channels of the sound source such that a sound pressure level and/or an amplitude and/or a magnitude and/or an energy of the one or more late reverberation channels is adapted depending on the distance between the sound source and the listener in the virtual audio scene”.
ERONEN teaches generating late reverberation signals using reverberator (see [0118] and [0150]) and applying attenuation filters and coefficients to control the reverberated signal (see [0124] and [0202]). The attenuation of the reverberated signal inherently adjusts the amplitude, energy, and sound pressure level of the late reverberation channels. Furthermore, ERONEN teaches that such parameters are based on scene geometry and physical room information (see [0216]), which includes distance relationships between sound source and listener.
Thus, it would have been obvious to a person of an ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the sound pressure level, amplitude, magnitude, or energy of the late reverberation channels is adapted depending on distance.
Regarding claim 3, ERONEN teaches wherein the late reverberation module is configured to render the sound pressure level and/or the amplitude and/or the magnitude and/or the energy of the one or more late reverberation channels (reads on attenuation filters control reverberation level/energy, see [0124] and [0202]) such that a greater distance between the sound source and the listener in the virtual audio scene results in a stronger attenuation of the level and/or the amplitude and/or the energy of the one or more late reverberation channels compared to a smaller distance between the sound source and the listener in the virtual audio scene (reads on attenuation based on scene geometry/physical room information (distance relationship), see [0216])(note that increasing the distance between a sound source and listener results in increased attenuation of the reverberated signal, since attenuation of sound with distance is a well-known acoustic principle), or
wherein the late reverberation module is configured to render the sound pressure level and/or the amplitude and/or the magnitude and/or the energy of the one or more late reverberation channels depending on a first distance between the sound source and the listener, such that the sound pressure level of the one or more late reverberation channels is reduced by a value between 1 dB and 2 dB compared to a an attenuation of the one or more audio channels, if the distance between the sound source and the listener is half of the first distance.
Claim 8, recites “wherein the renderer is configured to receive one or more information parameters comprising an indication on a strength of a distance attenuation for late reverberation, and
wherein the late reverberation module is configured to adapt the sound pressure level and/or the amplitude and/or the magnitude and/or the energy of the one or more late reverberation channels depending on the distance between the sound source and the listener in the virtual audio scene and depending on the indication on the strength of the distance attenuation for late reverberation”.
ERONEN teaches providing parameters associated with reverberation and attenuation through an audio scene description or bitstream (see [0116] and [0216]) and applying attenuation filters to control the level and energy of late reverberation signals (see [0124] and [0202]).
Thus, it would have been obvious to a person of an ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include an explicit indication of attenuation strength within such parameters and to use that indication in adapting the reverberation signal, as this represents a predictable use of known parameter-based control of audio processing.
Regarding claim 9 ERONEN teaches wherein a bitstream comprises the one or more information parameters (reads on audio scene description/bitstream parameters, see [0116] and [0216]), and wherein the renderer is configured to receive the bitstream and is configured to acquire the one or more information parameters from the bitstream (reads on decoding/render-side processing, see [0113] and [0116]); or
the renderer is configured to receive the one or more information parameters from another unit that has received the bitstream and that has acquired the one or more information parameters from the bitstream, or
wherein the one or more information parameters comprise a distance drop decibel factor and a reference distance, and wherein the late reverberation module is configured to adapt the sound pressure level and/or the amplitude and/or the magnitude and/or the energy of the one or more late reverberation channels depending on the distance between the sound source and the listener in the virtual audio scene, depending on the distance drop decibel factor and depending on the reference distance.
Claim 11 recites “wherein the late reverberation module is configured to adapt the sound pressure level and/or the amplitude and/or the magnitude and/or the energy of the one or more late reverberation channels depending on a gain dbGain that depends on:
distanceGainDbFactor * log10(refDistance / distance); and
distanceGainDbFactor = distanceGainDropDb / log10(2.0);
wherein distanceGainDropDb indicates the distance drop decibel factor,
wherein refDistance indicates the reference distance; and
wherein distance indicates the distance between the sound source and the listener in the virtual audio scene”.
ERNOEN teaches adapting the level and energy of reverberated signals using attenuation filters and parameters based on scene geometry (see [0124], [0202] and [0216]).
Thus, it would have been obvious to a person of an ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the attenuation as logarithmic function of distance using a gain factor and reference distance, as logarithmic distance-based attenuation relationships are well-known in acoustics and signal processing mathematical implementation of distance-based attenuation.
Claim 12 recites “wherein the reference distance is a reference distance for an audio element according to MPEG-I 6DoF Audio Encoder Input Format (EIF), wherein the audio element is the sound source”.
ERONEN teaches using an audio scene description format, such as an encoder input (EIF)(see [101] and [0109]) including parameters associated with sound sources in a virtual audio scene (see [0116] and [0216]).
Thus, it would have been obvious to a person of an ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include a reference distance parameter associated with an audio element in such a format, as defining reference distances for sound sources is considered a well-known practice in spatial audio rendering systems.
Claims 5-7 are rejected for the same reasons set forth with respect to claims 2-3, as they merely recite further details of distance-based attenuation and signal level adaptation already taught by ERONEN.
Regarding claim 13, ERONEN teaches
wherein the late reverberation module is configured to generate the one or more late reverberation channels using a feedback-delay-network reverberator, or
wherein the renderer further comprises an early reflection module (reads on early reflection synthesis to generate early reflection signal, see [0196] and [00222]) configured for generating one or more early reflection channels depending on the one or more audio channels (reads on early reflection based on audio signal parameters, see [0196]) of the sound source, wherein the sound scene generator is configured to generate the one or more audio output channels for reproducing the virtual audio scene using the one or more early reflection channels (reads on combining early reflections and rendering output, see [0196] and [0222]).
Claim 15 recites “wherein the renderer is configured to determine the distance between the sound source and a listener in the virtual audio scene depending on a position of the sound source and depending on a position of the listener, wherein at least one of the following applies:
the position of the sound source and the position of the listener are defined for three dimensions, the position of the sound source and the position of the listener are defined for two dimensions, the position of the sound source is defined for three dimensions, and the listener position and orientation is defined for six-degrees-of-freedom, such that the position of the listener is defined for three dimensions, and the orientation of a head of the listener is defined using three rotation angles”.
ERONEN teaches determining parameters based on geometry of a sound scene (see [0216] and [0226]), including positions of elements within the sound scene used for rendering.
However, ERONEN does not specifically teach determining distance based on listener orientation and multi-dimensional position including head orientation.
Thus, it would have been obvious to a person of an ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate listener position and orientation, including head orientation, as such spatial parameters are commonly used in virtual and spatial audio rendering to improve realism and spatial accuracy.
Regarding claim 21, ERONEN teaches a bitstream comprising, an encoding of one or more audio channels (see encoder/input format/bitstream as discussed in [0218] and [0219]) of each sound source of one or more sound sources emitting sound into a virtual audio scene (reads on audio signal/sound scene as discussed in [0216] and [02221]).
ERONEN does not specifically teach “one or more data fields comprising one or more information parameters which comprise an indication on a strength of a distance attenuation for late reverberation”.
Thus, it would have been obvious to a person of an ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include such attenuation-related parameters in bitstream, as encoding audio rendering parameters for transmission and reconstruction is well-known, and doing so enables consistent rendering of reverberation effects across devices.
Independent claims 23, 28 and dependent claim 30 are rejected for the same reasons set forth with respect to independent claim 21.
Conclusion
6. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Rasha S. AL-Aubaidi whose telephone number is (571) 272-7481. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor, Ahmad Matar, can be reached on (571) 272-7488.
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/RASHA S AL AUBAIDI/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2693
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