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 –
(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) 1-4, 6, 8-11, 16-19, 22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 a (2) as being anticipated by Minagawa et al. (US 12,160,714 B2).
(Currently Amended) An apparatus, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to (fig.3 (60/100); col.5 line 60-67; col.6 line 40-67): obtain spatial audio parameters for a position of a user (col.6 line 20-30; col.12 line 15-30/at current position the user may obtain spatial audio parameter); obtain spatial audio parameters for a listening position, different to the position of the user (col.12 line 30-55/any listening position different from user position as gaze would provide the user the spatial audio); render the spatial audio for the position of the user (col.12 line 15-20/the spatial audio may be rendered for position of user); render the spatial audio for the listening position (col.12 line 30-55); map the spatial audio parameters for the listening position into a zone that corresponds to the position of the user; and merge the spatial audio for the position of the user with the spatial audio for the listening position to enable the spatial audio for the position of the user to be played back simultaneously with the spatial audio for the listening position (fig.8 (90); col.12 line 40-67; col.13 line 5-55/the spatial audio may be merged and enable spatial for user position and listener position to be played back simultaneously) .
(Currently Amended) An apparatus as claimed in claim 1,wherein the listening position comprises a zoom position (fig.8 (P1, P2); col.13 line 15-67).
(Currently Amended) An apparatus as claimed in claim 2. wherein the instructions, when executed with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to adapt the spatial audio parameters for the zoom position to take into account the position of the user relative to the zoom position (col.13 line 5-67).
4. (Currently Amended) An apparatus as claimed in claim 1,wherein the instructions, when executed with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to re-map the spatial audio parameters to a reduced zone to take into account the position of the user relative to the listening position (col.13 line 5-55/as the user gazed in various position according to boundary, therefore the spatial audio parameters are adjusted accordingly).
6. (Currently Amended) An apparatus as claimed in claim 4,wherein the reduced zone is configured to reduce rendering of sounds positioned between the position of the user and the listening position (col.12 line 60-col.13 line 30).
8. (Currently Amended) An apparatus as claimed in claim 1,wherein the position of the user and the zoom position are comprised within the same listening space (fig.8 (92); the user may adaptively gaze at various listening space including that at his seat). .
9. (Currently Amended) An apparatus as claimed in claim 1,wherein the position of the user is comprised within a first listening space and the listening position is comprised within a second listening space (fig.8; col.12 line 40-60).
10. (Currently Amended) An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein a listening space is represented with a plurality of audio signal content set (fig.8; col.2 line 19-15; col.4 line 48-55/the sounds according to where user is gazing).
11. (Currently Amended) An apparatus as claimed in claim 1,wherein the listening position is determined [[by]] with one or more user inputs (fig.8; col.9 line 25-40).
Claim 16, Minagawa et al. disclose of a method for generating spatial audio output, the method comprising: obtaining spatial audio parameters for a position of a user (col.6 line 20-30; col.12 line 15-30/at current position the user may obtain spatial audio parameter); obtaining spatial audio parameters for a listening position, different to the position of the user (col.12 line 30-55/any listening position different from user position as gaze would provide the user the spatial audio); rendering the spatial audio for the position of the user (col.12 line 15-20/the spatial audio may be rendered for position of user); rendering the spatial audio for the listening position (col.12 line 30-55); mapping the spatial audio parameters for the listening position into a zone that corresponds to the position of the user; and merging the spatial audio for the position of the user with the spatial audio for the listening position to enable the spatial audio for the position of the user to be played back simultaneously with the spatial audio for the listening position (fig.8 (90); col.12 line 40-67; col.13 line 5-55/the spatial audio may be merged and enable spatial for user position and listener position to be played back simultaneously) .
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17. (Currently Amended) A method as claimed in claim 16. wherein the listening position comprises a zoom position (fig.8 (P1, P2); col.13 line 15-67).
18. (Currently Amended) A method as claimed in claim 17 wherein the method comprises adapting the spatial audio parameters for the zoom position to take into account the position of the user relative to the zoom position (col.13 line 5-67).
19. (Currently Amended) A non-transitory program storage device readable with an apparatus, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable with the apparatus for performing operations comprising: obtaining spatial audio parameters for a position of a user (col.6 line 20-30; col.12 line 15-30/at current position the user may obtain spatial audio parameter); obtaining spatial audio parameters for a listening position, different to the position of the user (col.12 line 30-55/any listening position different from user position as gaze would provide the user the spatial audio); rendering the spatial audio for the position of the user (col.12 line 15-20/the spatial audio may be rendered for position of user); rendering the spatial audio for the listening position (col.12 line 30-55); mapping the spatial audio parameters for the listening position into a zone that corresponds to the position of the user; and merging the spatial audio for the position of the user with the spatial audio for the listening position to enable the spatial audio for the position of the user to be played back simultaneously with the spatial audio for the listening position (fig.8 (90); col.12 line 40-67; col.13 line 5-55/the spatial audio may be merged and enable spatial for user position and listener position to be played back simultaneously) .
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22. (New) A method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the method comprises re-mapping the spatial audio parameters to a reduced zone to take into account the position of the user relative to the listening position (col.13 line 5-55/as the user gazed in various position according to boundary, therefore the spatial audio parameters are adjusted accordingly).
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, 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable Minagawa et al. (US 12,160,714 B2).
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(Currently Amended) An apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the instructions, when executed with the at least one processor, determine reduced zone according to the the position of the user and the listening position (col.9 line 25-60 & col.10 line 20-60/the zone is determined based on position of user and listening position).
Nonetheless, the art never limit such aspect related to the size of the reduced zone with a distance between the position of the user and the listening position, but one of the ordinary skills in the art could have varied the reduce zone according to position and listening position as mentioned by specifying if desired such size of the reduced zone is determined according to a distance between the position of the user and the listening position for achieving the same result as to provide the synthesized sound according to a certain modified level according to the determined positions.
(Currently Amended) An apparatus as claimed in claim 4, but the prior art never limit such aspect related to as wherein the instructions, when executed with the at least one processor, determine an angular position of the reduced zone is determined based on an axis connecting the listening position and the position of the user.
but one of the ordinary skills in the art could have varied the reduce zone according to position and listening position as mentioned (col.9 line 25-60 & col.10 line 20-60/the zone is determined based on position of user and listening position).
by specifying if desired such size of the reduced zone is determined determine an angular position of the reduced zone is determined based on an axis connecting the listening position and the position of the user for achieving the same result as to provide the synthesized sound according to a certain modified level according to the determined positions.
Claim(s) 12, 23 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable Minagawa et al. (US 12,160,714 B2) and Koppens (US 2024/0214763 A1).
12. (Currently Amended) An apparatus as claimed in claim 1,wherein the instructions, when executed with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to adapt the spatial audio parameters of the position of the user as noted, but none of the art specify such specific as adapting the audio with increasing the diffuseness of the audio.
But, Koppens disclose of the similar concept regarding adapting the audio with increasing the diffuseness of the audio (par [84, 123]). Thus, one of the ordinary skills in the art could have modified the art by incorporating such aspect related to adapting the audio with increasing the diffuseness of the audio so as to provide the desired sound perception related same audio source originated across entire space area.
The claim(s) 23 which in substance disclose of the similar features as in claim(s) 12 have been analyzed and rejected accordingly.
Claim(s) 13, 24 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable Minagawa et al. (US 12,160,714 B2) and Laaksonen (US 2018/0213344 A1).
13. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1,wherein the spatial audio parameters comprise at least one of: spatial metadata parameters; or for one or more frequency sub-bands, information indicative of: a sound direction, and sound directionality.
But, noted Laaksonen disclose of the similar aspect regarding a spatial audio parameters comprise at least one of: spatial metadata parameters (par [30, 33]). Thus, one of the ordinary skills in the art could have modified the art by adding the similar concept regarding such aspect concerning a spatial audio parameters comprise at least one of: spatial metadata parameters so as to determined how to render the spatialized sound according to the parameter condition.
The claim(s) 24 which in substance disclose of the similar features as in claim(s) 13 have been analyzed and rejected accordingly.
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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