DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
The Art Unit location of your application in the PTO has changed. To aid in correlating any papers for this application, all further correspondence regarding this application should be directed to Group Art Unit 2691.
This communication is responsive to the preliminary amended claims filed 06/17/2024.
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
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 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.
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)(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.
Claims 1-5, 8, 10-12, 14-16, 21-24, 27-31 and 34-36 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Frieding et al. (U. S. Pat. App. Pub. No. – 2020/0252730).
Regarding claim 1, Frieding et al. disclose a method comprising: administering one or more speech perception tests to a user of a hearing device (472, 474); determining, based on results of the one or more speech perception tests (claims 1, 6-7; 9-11; 17) and , (476) one or more effects of at least one tinnitus remediation signal on a target sound perception of the user (claims 2; 12); and configuring the hearing device based on the one or more effects of the at least one tinnitus remediation signal on the target sound perception of the user (478-479)(Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 2, Frieding et al. further disclose the method, wherein administering the one or more speech perception tests to the user comprises: administering one or more Digit Triplet Tests (DTTs) to the user ([0022, 0027]).
Regarding claim 3, Frieding et al. further disclose the method, wherein administering the one or more speech perception tests to the user comprises: administering one or more monaural speech perception tests ([0079-0080]).
Regarding claim 4, Frieding et al. further disclose the method, wherein administering the one or more speech perception tests to the user comprises: administering one or more binaural speech perception tests ([0086-0090]).
Regarding claim 5, Frieding et al. further disclose the method, wherein administering the one or more speech perception tests to the user comprises: administering two or more different speech perception tests to the user in a presence of one or more tinnitus remediation signals ([0089-0090]).
Regarding claim 8, Frieding et al. further disclose the method, wherein configuring the hearing device based on the one or more effects of the at least one tinnitus remediation signal on the target sound perception of the user comprises: setting a maximum level of a tinnitus remediation signal delivered to the user ([0089-0090]).
Regarding claim 10, Frieding et al. further disclose the method, wherein configuring the hearing device based on the one or more effects of the at least one tinnitus remediation signal on the target sound perception of the user comprises: setting a type of tinnitus remediation signal delivered to the user ([0094-0095]).
Regarding claim 11, Frieding et al. further disclose the method, wherein setting the type of the tinnitus remediation signal delivered to the user comprises: configuring the hearing device to use a selected type of tinnitus remediation signal in one or more specific sound environments ([0084-0090]).
Regarding claim 12, Frieding et al. further disclose the method, wherein setting the type of the tinnitus remediation signal delivered to the user comprises: configuring the hearing device to use different types of tinnitus remediation signals in different sound environments ([0084-0090]).
Regarding claim 14, Frieding et al. further disclose the method, wherein determining the one or more effects of at least one tinnitus remediation signal on the target sound perception of the user comprises: determining the one or more effects of at least one tinnitus remediation signal on the target sound perception of the user with respect to additional background noise levels ([0084-0090]).
Regarding claim 15, Frieding et al. further disclose the method, wherein determining, based on results of the one or more speech perception tests, one or more effects of at least one tinnitus remediation signal on a target sound perception of the user comprises: determining, based on results of the one or more speech perception tests, one or more effects of at least one tinnitus remediation signal on a speech perception of the user ([0084-0095]).
Regarding claim 16, Frieding et al. further disclose the method, wherein determining, based on results of the one or more speech perception tests, one or more effects of at least one tinnitus remediation signal on a target sound perception of the user comprises: determining, based on results of the one or more speech perception tests, one or more effects of at least one tinnitus remediation signal on an alarm signal detection of the user ([0084-0095]).
Regarding claim 21, Frieding et al. further disclose the method, wherein the tinnitus remediation signal is an electrical stimulation signal ([0054]).
Regarding claim 22, Frieding et al. further disclose the method, wherein the at least one tinnitus remediation signal is an acoustic stimulation signal ([0054]).
Regarding claim 23, Frieding et al. further disclose the method, wherein the at least one tinnitus remediation signal is a combination of an acoustic stimulation signal and an electrical stimulation signal ([0054-0055]).
Regarding claim 24, Frieding et al. further disclose the method, wherein the at least one tinnitus remediation signal is a mechanical stimulation signal ([0054]).
Computer software product claims 27-31 and 34-36 are similar to method claims 1-5 and 10-12 except for being couched in computer software terminology; such product would be inherent when the structure/method is shown in the references.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-7, 9, 13, 17-18, 20, 32-33 and 37 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SUHAN NI whose telephone number is (571)272-7505. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday to Friday from 10:00 am to 6:30 pm.
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/SUHAN NI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2691