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 .
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim(s) 20-23 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the above claim(s) have been further analyzed and stand allowed for same reasons as provided in the last action.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(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, 6, 8, 12, 16, 18-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 a (2) as being anticipated by Bowler et al. (US 11,394,480 B2).
Claim 1, Bowler et al. disclose of a method for enhancing an audio signal for a device with at least one internal speaker and at least one external speaker, the method comprising: distributing the audio signal to the at least one internal speaker and the at least one external speaker (fig.1 (104C/104n); col.6 line 1-7; col.7 line 1-15/the television with internal speaker and other remote external speaker) and aligning timestamps for the distributed audio signal such that signals for the at least one internal speaker aligns with signals for the at least one external speaker (col.12 line 35-50; col.13 line 45-67).
6. (Currently Amended) The method of claims 1 further comprising communicating with a wireless speaker of the at least one external speakers in a wireless manner (fig.1-2; col.6 line 10-35; col.7 line 20-30).
8. (Currently Amended) The method of claim 1 further comprising communicating with a wired speaker of the at least one external speaker in a wired manner (col.15 line 55-60; col.7 line 25-35).
12. (Currently Amended) The method of claim 1, wherein one of the at least one external speakers is a headset (col.6 line 1-15).
16. (Currently Amended) The method of claim 1 wherein the device is one of a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a tablet computer, a smartphone, and a television set (col.6 line 1-15).
Claim 18, a device configured to carry out the method of claim 1 (col.6 line 1-15).
19. (Currently Amended) A non-transient computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of claim 1, (col.6 line 1-15; col.16 line 15-60).
.
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) 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bowler et al. (US 11,394,480 B2) and Pham et al. (US 11,985,494 B2).
5. (Currently Amended) The method of claim 1, although, none of the prior art mentioned as further comprising configuring crossover of the audio signal.
However, Pahm disclose of an audio playback system comprising configuring crossover of the audio signal (col.29 line 15-25). Thus, one of the ordinary skills in the art could have modified the art by adding such noted configuring crossover of the audio signal so as to adjust and optimize sound as per frequency signal.
Claim(s) 2, 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bowler et al. (US 11,394,480 B2) and Kuper (US 11,803,349 B2).
2. (Original) The method of claim 1, but the art never specify as further comprising detecting speaker locations of each of the at least one external speaker and dynamically adjusting the signals for the at least one external speaker based on the speaker locations.
Kuper disclose of a method wherein such concept regarding detecting speaker locations of each of the at least one external speaker and dynamically adjusting the signals for the at least one external speaker based on the speaker locations (col.14 line 8-16 & col.7 line 35-50). Thus, one of the ordinary skills in the art could have modified the prior art by adding such method related to detecting speaker locations of each of the at least one external speaker and dynamically adjusting the signals for the at least one external speaker based on the speaker locations so as to dynamically provide the optimal sound experience according to the device locations.
13. (Original) The method of claim 2, although, the art never specify as wherein the detecting locations includes receiving user input on a speaker location of the at least one external speaker.
However, it would have been obvious for one of the ordinary skills in the art to have modified the general concept related to detecting locations by specifying such manual detection including receiving user input of detecting locations of speaker of the external speaker as per engineering preference for achieving the same result as provide the optimal output according to the user’s manual input of locations.
Claim(s) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bowler et al. (US 11,394,480 B2) and You et al. (US 11,871,069 B2).
3. (Currently Amended) The method of claim 1 , but the art never disclose as further comprising detecting connection statuses of each of the at least one external speakers and performing cooperative playback control based on the connection statuses o each of the external speakers.
But the art as in You et al. disclose as detecting connection statuses of each of the at least one external speakers and performing cooperative playback control based on the connection statuses o each of the external speakers (fig.7 (720); fig.8 (820); col.7 line 20-30; col.4 line 63-col.5 line 10). Thus one of the ordinary skills in the art could have modified the art by adding such aspect concerning detecting connection statuses of each of the at least one external speakers and performing cooperative playback control based on the connection statuses o each of the external speakers so as to improve the connection and ensuring of the corresponding synchronized audio to the speakers.
Thus, the combined teaching of Bowler et al. and You et al. as a whole, further mentioned wherein aligning timestamps for the distributed audio signal is a time alignment ensuring that the at least one internal speaker and the at least one external speaker have the same timestamp during playback of the distributed audio signal (Bo-col.12 line 35-50; col.13 line 45-67).
Claim(s) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bowler et al. (US 11,394,480 B2) and Kim et al. (US 10,999,692 B2).
4. (Currently Amended) The method of claim 1, but the art failed to mentioned further comprising multi- channel mixing the audio signal into the at least one internal speaker and the at least one external speaker.
However, kim et al. disclose of a similar concept related to comprising multi- channel mixing the audio signal into the at least one internal speaker and the at least one external speaker (fig.2/4 (130); col.5 line 25-40). Thus, one of the ordinary skills in the art could have modified the art by adding such aspect related to multi- channel mixing the audio signal into the at least one internal speaker and the at least one external speaker so as to upmix and provide the signal to corresponding speakers.
Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bowler et al. (US 11,394,480 B2) and Liao et al. (US 2006/0210105 A1).
10. (Currently Amended) The method of any of claim 1, but the art never specify as wherein one of the at least one external speakers is integrated into a computer mouse.
However, Liao disclose of the similar aspect regarding a speaker being integrated into a computer mouse (fig.2-3 (10); par [28]). Thus, one of the ordinary skills in the art could have modified the prior art by adding such noted aspect related to a speaker being integrated into a computer mouse so as to provide high quality sound and compensate for the size limit of the computer speaker.
Claim(s) 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bowler et al. (US 11,394,480 B2) and Fu et al. (10, 887,958 B1).
11. (Currently Amended) The method of claim 1 , but the prior art never specify the aspect concerning wherein one of the at least one external speakers is integrated into a power adapter of the device.
Fu et al. disclose the specific aspect related to a speaker being integrated into a power adapter of the device (fig.1 (126/124); fig.6 (302); col.4 line 15-30). Thus, one of the ordinary skills in the art could have modified the art by adding such concept related to speaker being integrated into a power adapter of the device so as to provide so as to provide such integrated unit which provide power and audio output for the users.
Claim(s) 14-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bowler et al. (US 11,394,480 B2) and Kuper (US 11,803,349 B2) and Davis et al. (US 2023/0061896 A1).
14. (Original) The method of claim 2, although, none of the art mentioned as wherein the detecting locations includes determining speaker location from an operating system of the device.
However, Davis et al. disclose such aspect concerning detecting locations includes determining speaker location from an operating system of the device (fig.1 (104); par [31, 35]). Thus, one of the ordinary skills in the art could have modified the art by adding such aspect related to detecting locations includes determining speaker location from an operating system of the device so as to compensate and provide the proper audio playback based on user’s location.
15. (Original) The method of claim 2, although the art never specify as wherein the detecting locations includes using a microphone of the device to determine speaker location.
However, Davis et al. disclose such aspect concerning detecting locations includes using a microphone of the device to determine speaker location (fig.1 (104); par [31, 35]). Thus, one of the ordinary skills in the art could have modified the art by adding such aspect related to detecting locations includes using a microphone of the device to determine speaker location so as to compensate and provide the proper audio playback based on user’s location.
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
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