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 .
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 –
Claim(s) 1-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Dua (US 20060258289 A1).
As per claim 1, Dua discloses a Bluetooth audio playback method, applied to an electronic device, wherein the electronic device is communicatively connected to a Bluetooth device (headphone or headset 52 is bluetooth per para 126), and the method comprises:
determining a quantity of Track tracks in response to an operation instruction on the electronic device by a user (skip back or skip forward per para 19 determines the quantity of tracks that have been played and are set to be played in the current queue of songs/video/media);
sending a playing instruction to the Bluetooth device when the quantity of the Track tracks increases, wherein the playing instruction is used for setting an audio status of the Bluetooth device to playing (any of the signaling used to implement any of the functional blocks in relation to received audio based on the cited skip commands in order to stream the audio per para 123); and
sending a pause instruction to the Bluetooth device when the quantity of the Track tracks decreases, wherein the pause instruction is used for setting the audio status of the Bluetooth device to pause (skip back instruction per para 19 comprises a pause instruction as in the pause associated when the system processes the skip back function and also resets both the track and position within the track to the beginning of the track, wherein the skip back instruction at the electronic device 100 provides the appropriate audio via 353, where any of the associated processing used to recover the audio from 353 comprises the pause instruction).
As per claim 2, The Bluetooth audio playback method according to claim 1, wherein the determining a quantity of Track tracks in response to an operation instruction on the electronic device by a user comprises: acquiring, by the audio manager, the playing command from the application (the skip back/forward command comprises a command to reset and a command to play the previous content),
creating the Track tracks of the audio data based on the playing command (the particular track being played is set by the skip commands), and
determining the quantity of the Track tracks (the current amount of audio tracks that have been played and are yet to be played are set when skipping a track forward or back).
As per claim 3, the Bluetooth audio playback method according to claim 2, wherein the sending a playing instruction to the Bluetooth device when the quantity of the Track tracks increases comprises:
acquiring, by a hardware abstraction layer of the electronic device, the quantity of the Track tracks from the audio framework layer (the current track number must be acquired within the hardware abstraction layer by the current device in order to be playing a song/track in order to perform the cited skip function in order to know where to skip to since forward and back are relative terms);
sending, by the hardware abstraction layer, the audio status being playing to a Bluetooth protocol stack of the hardware abstraction layer when determining that the quantity of the Track tracks increases (any of the Bluetooth related signaling sent along with the streamed audio in response to the skip commands pertaining to the hardware abstraction layer that is part of the Bluetooth protocol); and
sending, by the Bluetooth protocol stack, the playing instruction to the Bluetooth device in response to the audio status being playing (the Bluetooth signalling for the skip commands comprises the use of Bluetooth stacks to send the instructions including the playing instruction; noting para 117 memory component 370. The embedded Bluetooth sequencer 364 executes the lower layers of the Bluetooth stack, while the host processor 373 runs the application and the higher levels of the Bluetooth protocol stack software. This architecture guarantees that the real-time operations of the lower levels can't be influenced by the application. ).
As per claim 4, the Bluetooth audio playback method according to claim 1, wherein the sending a pause instruction to the Bluetooth device when the quantity of the Track tracks decreases comprises:
sending, by a hardware abstraction layer of the electronic device, the audio status being pause to the Bluetooth protocol stack when determining that the quantity of the Track tracks decreases (the portions of the commands received through the Bluetooth protocol which pause, process, delay and synchronize the audio stream in response to the skip commands, such as para 121, the Bluetooth clock offset, or any signal sent to 362 via the clock offset); and
sending, by the Bluetooth protocol stack, the pause instruction to the Bluetooth device in response to the audio status being pause (the signals cited above sent via the stack based processing in para. 117 to 119).
As per claim 5, the Bluetooth audio playback method according to claim 1, wherein the determining a quantity of Track tracks in response to an operation instruction on the electronic device by a user comprises:
acquiring, by the audio manager, a pause command from the application (the signals cited per the claim 4 rejection); and
deleting, by the audio manager, the Track tracks based on the pause command (the currently playing track is deleted), and
determining the quantity of the Track tracks (part of implementing either of the skip functions).
As per claim 6, the Bluetooth audio playback method according to claim 1, wherein the determining a quantity of Track tracks comprises: deleting, by the audio manager, the Track tracks when determining that playback of the audio data ends (the number of the currently playing track is deleted one the current playing track either ends or is skipped, because that track is no longer playing).
As per claim 7, the Bluetooth audio playback method according to claim 1, wherein the determining a quantity of Track tracks in response to an operation instruction on the electronic device by a user comprises:
in response to an operation of switching from audio data of a first playing scenario to audio data of a second playing scenario of the application, deleting, by the audio manager, Track tracks of the audio data of the first playing scenario, and creating Track tracks of the audio data of the second playing scenario (when the track is skipped/switched, the first scenario of playing the current track is changed to the second scenario of playing the track to which the track number has been skipped to)
wherein the audio data of the first playing scenario and the audio data of the second playing scenario are not continuous (there is a pause when skipping .switching tracks per the processing time and time to reset the currently playing track).
As per claim 8, the Bluetooth audio playback method according to claim 1, wherein the sending a playing instruction to the Bluetooth device when the quantity of the Track tracks increases comprises:
sending the playing instruction to the Bluetooth device when the quantity of the Tracktracks is changed from 0 to 1 (when the current track/track 0 is skipped to the skipped to track/track 1 the instruction to play the skipped to track is included per the Bluetooth protocol received along with the streamed audio).
As per claim 9, the Bluetooth audio playback method according to claim 1, wherein the sending a pause instruction to the Bluetooth device when the quantity of the Track tracks decreases comprises: sending the pause instruction to the Bluetooth device when the quantity of the Track tracks is changed from 1 to 0 (when the current track/track 1 is skipped to the skipped to track/track 0 the instruction to pause the skipped to track is included per the Bluetooth protocol received along with the streamed audio as part of the protocol or clock offset based functions, or clock or sync based signaling associated with bluetooth).
As per claim 10, Dua discloses an electronic device, comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the processor is coupled to the memory; the memory is configured to store program instructions; and the processor is configured to read the program instructions stored in the memory to cause the electronic device to perform following operations (the following device is a digital device which requires one or more processor coupled to software and memory in order to be implemented):,
determining a quantity of Track tracks in response to an operation instruction on the electronic device by a user(skipping a track per the claim 1 rejection, comprises determining a quantity of tracks which are to be played or which have been played which is the currently playing track number) ;
sending a playing instruction to the Bluetooth device when the quantity of the Track tracks increases (per the claim 1 rejection),
wherein the playing instruction is used for setting an audio status of the Bluetooth device to playing (per claim 1 rejection); and
sending a pause instruction to the Bluetooth device when the quantity of the Track tracksdecreases (per claim 1 rejection),
wherein the pause instruction is used for setting the audio status of the Bluetooth device to pause (per claim 1 rejeciton).
As per claim 11, A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium storing program instructions, and which when -executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising: determining a quantity of Track tracks in response to an operation instruction on the electronic device by a user; sending a playing instruction to the Bluetooth device when the quantity of the Track tracks increases, wherein the playing instruction is used for setting an audio status of the Bluetooth device to playing; and sending a pause instruction to the Bluetooth device when the quantity of the Track tracks decreases, wherein the pause instruction is used for setting the audio status of the Bluetooth device to pause (per the claim 1 and 10 rejections).
As per claim 12, the electronic device according to claim 10, wherein the determining a quantity of Track tracks in response to an operation instruction on the electronic device by a user comprises: acquiring, by the audio manager, the playing command from the application, creating the Track tracks of the audio data based on the playing command, and determining the quantity of the Track tracks (per claim 2 rejection).
As per claim 13, the electronic device according to claim 12, wherein the sending a playing instruction to the Bluetooth device when the quantity of the Track tracksincreases comprises: acquiring, by a hardware abstraction layer of the electronic device, the quantity of the Track tracks from the audio framework layer; sending, by the hardware abstraction layer, the audio status being playing to a Bluetooth protocol stack of the hardware abstraction layer when determining that the quantity of the Track tracks increases; and sending, by the Bluetooth protocol stack, the playing instruction to the Bluetooth device in response to the audio status being playing (per claim 3 rejection).
As per claim 14,the electronic device according to claim 10, wherein the sending a pause instruction to the Bluetooth device when the quantity of the Track tracks decreases comprises:
sending, by a hardware abstraction layer of the electronic device, the audio status being pause to the Bluetooth protocol stack when determining that the quantity of the Track tracks decreases; and sending, by the Bluetooth protocol stack, the pause instruction to the Bluetooth device in response to the audio status being pause (per claim 4 rejection).
As per claim 15, the electronic device according to claim 10, wherein the determining a quantity of Track tracks in response to an operation instruction on the electronic device by a user comprises: acquiring, by the audio manager, a pause command from the application; and deleting, by the audio manager, the Track tracks based on the pause command, and determining the quantity of the Track tracks (per claim 5 rejection).
As per claim 16, the electronic device according to claim 10, wherein the determining a quantity of Track tracks comprises: deleting, by the audio manager, the Track tracks when determining that playback of the audio data ends (per claim 6 rejection).
As per claim 17, the electronic device according to claim 10, wherein the determining a quantity of Track tracks in response to an operation instruction on the electronic device by a user comprises:
in response to an operation of switching from audio data of a first playing scenario to audio data of a second playing scenario of the application, deleting, by the audio manager, Track tracks of the audio data of the first playing scenario, and creating Track tracks of the audio data of the second playing scenario, wherein the audio data of the first playing scenario and the audio data of the second playing scenario are not continuous (per claim 7 rejection).
As per claim 18, the electronic device according to claim 10, wherein the sending a playing instruction to the Bluetooth device when the quantity of the Track tracks increases comprises: sending the playing instruction to the Bluetooth device when the quantity of the Track tracks is changed from 0 to 1 (per claim 8 rejection).
As per claim 19, the electronic device according to claim 10, wherein the sending a pause instruction to the Bluetooth device when the quantity of the Track tracks decreases comprises: sending the pause instruction to the Bluetooth device when the quantity of the Track tracks is changed from 1 to 0 (per claim 9 rejection).
As per claim 20, the computer-readable storage medium to claim 11, wherein the determining a quantity of Track tracks in response to an operation instruction on the electronic device by a user comprises: acquiring, by the audio manager, the playing command from the application, creating the Track tracks of the audio data based on the playing command, and determining the quantity of the Track tracks (per claim 2 rejection).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALEXANDER KRZYSTAN whose telephone number is 571-272-7498, and whose email address is alexander.krzystan@uspto.gov
The examiner can usually be reached on m-f 7:30-4:00 est.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone or email are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Fan Tsang can be reached on (571) 272-7547.
The fax phone numbers for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned are 571-273-8300 for regular communications and 571-273-8300 for After Final communications.
/ALEXANDER KRZYSTAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2653
Examiner Alexander Krzystan
February 20, 2026