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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in China on July 18, 2023. It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the Chinese application as required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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) 1-2, 4 and 6-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US Patent Pub No 2018/0078422 A1 to Dierenbach in view of US Patent No 10863279 B1 to Wu.
As to claim 1, Dierenbach discloses a notification method for Bluetooth earhook microphone apparatus (see figures 1-2; pg. 2, ¶ 0019; pg. 21, ¶ 0258), comprising: obtaining at least one audio signal (see pg. 3, ¶ 0030; pg. 15, ¶ 0198); executing a voice processing to the at least one audio signal; and enabling a haptic feedback module of a Bluetooth earhook microphone apparatus to alert a user wearing the Bluetooth earhook microphone apparatus when the at least one audio signal contains a keyword (see pg. 15, ¶ 0199; pg. 16, ¶ 0208 - ¶ 0210; pg. 22, ¶ 0266).
Dierenbach does not expressly disclose the voice processing being an offline voice processing. However such a configuration is considered obvious given the teachings of Wu, which discloses a similar Bluetooth device, and further discloses the use of an offline voice recognition module to recognize a preset voice message and preset activation password (see col. 1, lines 45-57). The proposed modification is therefore considered obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, the motivation being to provide a voice recognition module that allows for activation and recognition of preset voice information, reducing the time required for the device to recognize complex voice information, thereby saving the cost required for speech recognition devices (Wu col. 2, lines 13-30).
As to claim 2, Dierenbach in view of Wu further discloses further comprising: executing an audio positioning processing to the at least one audio signal, and determining an audio source location of the at least one audio signal; and enabling the haptic feedback module corresponding to the audio source location based on the at least one audio signal and the audio source location when the at least one audio signal contains the keyword (Dierenbach pg. 2, ¶ 0014; pg. 5, ¶ 0086 - ¶ 0088; pg. 16, ¶ 0210).
As to claim 4, Dierenbach in view of Wu does not expressly disclose wherein a word count of the keyword is less than a word count threshold. However it does disclose the use of single words or brief phrases as triggering events (Dierenbach pg. 16, ¶ 0210). Setting a word count of the keyword to be less than a word count threshold is therefore considered obvious given the teachings of Dierenbach in view of Wu. The motivation being to provide a brief triggering event such as one or two words in order to quickly alert the user, particularly for urgent moments that require the user’s attention such as a warning or a call for help (Dierenbach pg. 16, ¶ 0210).
As to claim 6, Dierenbach discloses a Bluetooth earhook microphone apparatus with an earhook component and a main body (see figures 1-2, 10-11, 24 and 26; pg. 2, ¶ 0019; pg. 21, ¶ 0258), comprising: a microphone module, configured in the earhook component for generating at least one audio signal (see figures 21-22; pg. 3, ¶ 0030; pg. 15, ¶ 0198; pg. 18, ¶ 0233); a haptic feedback module, configured in the earhook component (see figures 21-22; pg. 18, ¶ 0225; pg. 22, ¶ 0266); a Bluetooth communication module, configured in the main body (see figure 22; pg. 18, ¶ 0228; pg. 21, ¶ 0258); a storage module, configured in the main body and configured with a voice processing unit and a voice database storing a plurality of keywords (preprogrammed words, see pg. 16, ¶ 0208 - ¶ 0210; pg. 23, ¶ 0277); and a processor circuit, configured in the main body and electrically connected to the microphone module, the haptic feedback module, the Bluetooth communication module and the storage module (see figure 22; see pg. 18, ¶ 0228; pg. 23, ¶ 0277) for executing a notification method, comprising: obtaining the at least one audio signal (see pg. 3, ¶ 0030; pg. 15, ¶ 0198); executing a voice processing to the at least one audio signal; and enabling the haptic feedback module of the Bluetooth earhook microphone apparatus to alert a user wearing the Bluetooth earhook microphone apparatus when the at least one audio signal contains at least one keyword of the plurality of keywords (see pg. 15, ¶ 0199; pg. 16, ¶ 0208 - ¶ 0210; pg. 22, ¶ 0266).
Dierenbach does not expressly disclose the voice processing unit being an offline voice processing unit. However such a configuration is considered obvious given the teachings of Wu, which discloses a similar Bluetooth device, and further discloses the use of an offline voice recognition module to recognize a preset voice message and preset activation password (see col. 1, lines 45-57). The proposed modification is therefore considered obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, the motivation being to provide a voice recognition module that allows for activation and recognition of preset voice information, reducing the time required for the device to recognize complex voice information, thereby saving the cost required for speech recognition devices (Wu col. 2, lines 13-30).
As to claim 7, Dierenbach in view of Wu further discloses wherein the haptic feedback module is an electrical shock element or a vibration element (Dierenbach pg. 22, ¶ 0266).
As to claim 8, Dierenbach in view of Wu further discloses wherein the storage module is configured with an audio positioning processing unit configured to be executed by the processor circuit to execute an audio positioning processing to determine an audio source location of the at least one audio signal (Dierenbach pg. 5, ¶ 0086 - ¶ 0088; pg. 15, ¶ 0198; pg. 16, ¶ 0210).
Claim(s) 3, 5 and 9-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Dierenbach in view of Wu, and further in view of US Patent Pub No 2017/0018272 A1 to Lee et al. (“Lee”).
As to claim 3, Dierenbach in view of Wu discloses the notification method according to claim 2.
Dierenbach in view of Wu further discloses further comprising: selecting one keyword; and enabling the haptic feedback module corresponding to the audio source location based on a selected keyword and the audio source location corresponding to the selected keyword (Dierenbach pg. 2, ¶ 0014; pg. 5, ¶ 0086 - ¶ 0088; pg. 16, ¶ 0210), but does not expressly disclose selecting the one keyword from a plurality of keywords based on priorities corresponding to the plurality of keywords when the at least one audio signal contains a plurality of the keywords. However such a configuration is known in the art, as taught by Lee, which discloses a similar notification method, and further discloses the device can detect spoken words and determine notification importance based on the detected speech and a plurality of important keywords (see pg. 3, ¶ 0056; pg. 4, ¶ 0059 - ¶ 0061; pg. 5, ¶ 0072; pg. 6, ¶ 0080). The proposed modification is therefore considered obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, the motivation being to provide the notification as already taught by Dierenbach in view of Wu based on a level of importance, and particularly to designate certain words as having higher importance or priority if they indicate a warning or would otherwise require the user’s immediate attention (Lee pg. 4, ¶ 0060; pg. 6, ¶ 0080; pg. 8, ¶ 0110).
As to claim 5, Dierenbach in view of Wu and Lee further discloses wherein a SOS message is broadcasted through a Bluetooth communication system when the at least one audio signal contains a SOS keyword (Lee pg. 4, ¶ 0060; pg. 6, ¶ 0080; pg. 8, ¶ 0109 - ¶ 0110).
As to claim 9, Dierenbach in view of Wu and Lee further discloses wherein the processor circuit is configured to select one keyword from a plurality of keywords contained in the least one audio signal based on priorities corresponding to the plurality of keywords contained in the least one audio signal when the at least one audio signal contains the plurality of keyword and to enable the haptic feedback module based on a selected keyword and the audio source location corresponding to the selected keyword (Dierenbach pg. 2, ¶ 0014; pg. 5, ¶ 0086 - ¶ 0088; pg. 16, ¶ 0210; Lee pg. 3, ¶ 0056; pg. 4, ¶ 0059 - ¶ 0061; pg. 5, ¶ 0072; pg. 6, ¶ 0080).
As to claim 10, Dierenbach in view of Wu and Lee further discloses wherein the processor circuit is configured to enable a SOS message to be broadcasted by the Bluetooth communication module when the at least one audio signal contains a SOS keyword (Lee pg. 4, ¶ 0060; pg. 6, ¶ 0080; pg. 8, ¶ 0109 - ¶ 0110).
Conclusion
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/SABRINA DIAZ/Examiner, Art Unit 2693
/AHMAD F. MATAR/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2693