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 .
Status of Application
This communication is responsive to the applicant's preliminary amendment filed 06/25/2024.
Claims 1-4, 6-12, 14, 16-19, and 22-25 are pending. Claims 5, 13, 15, and 20-21 have been cancelled.
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.
(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, 2-4, 7, 10-12, 14; 16-18, 22, 23; and 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and/or 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Bruhn et al (US-2021/0272574, hereinafter, Bruhn).
Regarding claim 1, Bruhn discloses an apparatus (see Figs. 2A, 2B), comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed with the at least one processor (see para [0082]), cause the apparatus at least to: obtain an encoded spatial audio signal comprising one or more audio signals and first spatial metadata, wherein the first spatial metadata is configured to enable rendering of spatial audio in a first audio format from the one or more audio signals (see Fig. 2A, para [0043]); determine second spatial metadata using at least the first spatial metadata, wherein the second spatial metadata enables rendering of spatial audio in a second audio format from the one or more audio signals (see para [0049], simplification unit 230); and enable rendering of the spatial audio in the second audio format using at least the second spatial metadata and the one or more audio signals (see para [0050], encoder 240).
Regarding claims 2-4, see para [0044]-[0047].
Regarding claim 7, see para [0056].
Regarding claims 10 and 11, see para [0037], and [0049].
Regarding claim 12, see para [0054].
Regarding claim 14, see para [0045].
Method claims 16, 17, 18, 22-23; and 19 rejected for the same reasoning as set forth for the rejection of apparatus claims 1, 2, 3, and 11-12 since the apparatus claim perform the same functions as the method claim. And Bruhn in para [0084] discloses “non-transitory program storage device readable with an apparatus, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable with the apparatus for performing operations” as recited in claim 19.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6, 8, 9, and 24-25 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.
Fersch et al, Bruhn et al, Kim et al, and Atti et al disclose various systems and devices for audio coding having different formats and metadata.
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/XU MEI/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2695 12/27/2025