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 Claims
This Office Action is in response to the application filed on July 29th, 2024. Claims 1-20 are presently pending and are presented for examination.
Response to Amendment
In response to Applicants response filed on January 14th, 2026, Examiner withdraws the previous 35 U.S.C. 103 prior art rejection.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments filed January 14th, 2026, have been fully considered.
Regarding the arguments provided for the rejection of claims 1, 12, and 19, as put forth on page 7, applicant arguments have been fully considered. Applicant argues that “as amended, claim 1 recites that “the sound generation film [is] laminated on an off-center subsection of a windshield of the vehicle such that a beam of the focused sound emitted by the sound-generation film intersects the passenger seat.” Neither Zhou nor Mourou discloses or suggests this recitation. The Office Action admits that Zhou "does not disclose a transparent sound-generation film ..." (O.A. at p. 5.) Mourou discloses that "the asymmetric piezoelectric exciters can be used in in vehicles wherever laminated glass assemblies are utilized including, for example, ... front windshields." (Mourou at [0035].) But the lamination layer including the piezoelectric exciters within the front windshield extends fully throughout the front windshield; it is not "laminated on an off-center subsection of a windshield." Claim 1 is thus allowable over Zhou and Mourou. Independent claims 12 and 19 are similarly amended as claim 1”.
Applicant’s arguments have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of “Audfly’s Focusound Screen –transparent directional speaker” (published June 27th, 2022) (hereinafter, “Audfly”).
Regarding the arguments provided for the rejection of claims 21, as put forth on pages 7-8, applicant arguments have been fully considered. Applicant argues that “New claim 21 depends from claim 1, which was rejected as allegedly obvious over Zhou in view of Mourou. Claim 21 recites that "the sound-generation film includes a plurality of transducers configured to emit ultrasonic waves; the transducers being arranged in a parametric array within the sound-generation film." Neither Zhou nor Mourou discloses or suggests this recitation. The Office Action admits that Zhou "does not disclose a transparent sound-generation film ..." (O.A. at p. 5.) Mourou discloses the use of piezoelectric exciters, but not that they "emit ultrasonic waves," nor that they are "arranged in a parametric array within the sound-generation film." Claim 21 is therefore allowable over Zhou and Mourou”.
Applicant’s arguments have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of “Audfly’s Focusound Screen –transparent directional speaker” (published June 27th, 2022) (hereinafter, “Audfly”) and WO-2024239929 (hereinafter “Mao”).
Regarding the arguments provided for the rejection of claims 22, as put forth on pages 7-8, applicant arguments have been fully considered. Applicant argues that “New claim 22 depends from claim 1, which was rejected as allegedly obvious over Zhou in view of Mourou. Claim 22 recites that "the sound-generation film is arranged to emit the focused sound in a beam perpendicular to the sound-generation film, the beam having an angular width of no more than 45°." Neither Zhou nor Mourou discloses or suggests this recitation. The Office Action admits that Zhou "does not disclose a transparent sound-generation film ..." (0.A. at p. 5.) Mourou discloses the use of piezoelectric exciters, but not that the arrangement of piezoelectric exciters results in "a beam perpendicular to the sound-generation film, the beam having an angular width of no more than 45°." (Mourou at [0056]- [0057], Figs. 6, 8.) Claim 22 is therefore allowable over Zhou and Mourou”.
Applicant’s arguments have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of “Audfly’s Focusound Screen –transparent directional speaker” (published June 27th, 2022) (hereinafter, “Audfly”).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 1-6, 9-12, 15-20, and 22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US-20250173107(claiming priority to July 29th, 2022) (hereinafter, “Zhou”) in view of “Audfly’s Focusound Screen –transparent directional speaker” (published June 27th, 2022) (hereinafter, “Audfly”).
Regarding claim 1 Zhou discloses a vehicle (see at least [0002]; “This application relates to the field of in-vehicle device technologies, and in particular, to a control method and an electronic device.”) comprising:
a display panel mounted to a dashboard of the vehicle (see at least Fig. 40; Figure shows a display panel mounted to the dashboard”), the display panel switchable between a private mode and a public mode (see at least [0668]; “when the central display screen and the front passenger screen display video content in a splicing manner, a priority of the vehicle loudspeaker may be set to be the highest. When the front passenger screen displays a video in the private mode, a priority of a front passenger Bluetooth headset may be set to be higher than a priority of a front passenger loudspeaker,” displaying in a splicing manner is a public mode as the driver is able to see the video playing),
the display panel in the private mode displaying visual content visible to an occupant of a passenger seat of the vehicle and not visible to an operator of a second seat of the vehicle (see at least [0668]; “when the central display screen and the front passenger screen display video content in a splicing manner, a priority of the vehicle loudspeaker may be set to be the highest. When the front passenger screen displays a video in the private mode, a priority of a front passenger Bluetooth headset may be set to be higher than a priority of a front passenger loudspeaker,” the private display only displays video to the front passenger screen, and [0680]; “For example, as shown in FIG. 60, the control device may play the navigation audio through the driver loudspeaker in the cockpit, to implement an effect that a user corresponding to the central display screen listens to the navigation audio in the private mode. In addition, the control device may play the video audio through the front passenger Bluetooth headset in the cockpit, to implement an effect that a user corresponding to the front passenger screen listens to an audio corresponding to the video in the private mode,” the video and audio is played privately only to the front passenger),
the display panel in the public mode displaying visual content visible to occupants of the passenger seat and of the operator seat (see at least [0668]; “when the central display screen and the front passenger screen display video content in a splicing manner, a priority of the vehicle loudspeaker may be set to be the highest. When the front passenger screen displays a video in the private mode, a priority of a front passenger Bluetooth headset may be set to be higher than a priority of a front passenger loudspeaker,” when in splicing mode video is displayed to occupants of both front seats rather than just the front passenger seat in private mode, and [0109]; “In the method, in a scenario of displaying content in a splicing manner, two displays display same content in a splicing manner, and audio output apparatuses associated with the two displays play an audio corresponding to the content.”); and
…emit focused sound audible to the occupant of the passenger seat and not audible to the occupant of the operator seat (see at least [0668]; “when the central display screen and the front passenger screen display video content in a splicing manner, a priority of the vehicle loudspeaker may be set to be the highest. When the front passenger screen displays a video in the private mode, a priority of a front passenger Bluetooth headset may be set to be higher than a priority of a front passenger loudspeaker,” the Bluetooth headset provides focused sound).
Zhou does not disclose a transparent sound-generation film positioned to emit focused sound audible to the occupant of the passenger seat and not audible to the occupant of the operator seat, the sound-generation film laminated on an off-center subsection of a windshield of the vehicle such that a beam of the focused sound emitted by the sound generation film intersects the passenger seat.
Audfly, in the same field of endeavor, teaches a transparent sound-generation film positioned to emit focused sound audible to the occupant of the passenger seat and not audible to the occupant of the operator seat, the sound-generation film laminated on an off-center subsection of a windshield of the vehicle such that a beam of the focused sound emitted by the sound generation film intersects the passenger seat (Examiner Note: Applicant admits at [0029] of applicant’s specification that “the sound-generation film 110 is an arrangement of transducers that convert an electrical signal into sound. For example, the sound-generation film 110 may emit ultrasonic waves from multiple transducers in respective locations arranged in a parametric array in the sound-generation film 110, generating an interference pattern of audible sound that is aimed in a specific direction, resulting in focused sound in that specific direction. For the purposes of this disclosure, the phrase “focused sound” is defined as sound directed along a beam that is inaudible outside of the beam. For example, the beam may have an angular width γ that is no more than 45° (e.g., approximately 15°). The beam may extend normal (i.e., perpendicular) to the sound-generation film 110. The beam may be fixed (i.e., nonadjustable), meaning that the position of the sound-generation film 110 defines the beam. One such sound-generation film 110 is manufactured by Audfly,” Applicant admits that the sound-generation film 110 is manufactured by Audfly) (see at least [0:10]; “creating independent sound zone,” and [1:45]; the video depicts a sound generation speaker on the windshield and on a dashboard display, sound is able to be emitted from the speaker to intersect with the passenger. It would have been an obvious matter of design choice to modify the location of the film, since applicant has not disclosed that placing the film on the windshield in front of the sound target solves any stated problem or is for any particular purpose and it appears that the invention would perform equally as well with placing the film on the dashboard in front of the sound target. Additionally, the specification as written by the Applicant appears to use placement on the windshield and placement on the display panel as obvious variants to one another.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention with a reasonable expectation of success to have modified the vehicle display of Zhou with the Focusound in-car independent sound zone system of Audfly. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification for the benefit of preventing the listening experience and privacy from being compromised (see at least Audfly).
Regarding claim 4 Zhou in view of Audfly renders obvious all of the limitations of claim 3. Additionally, Zhou discloses wherein the vehicle lacks a sound-generation film positioned to emit focused sound audible to the operator seat (see specification, no sound generation film is located in the vehicle). Additionally, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to not place a film on the windshield in front of the driver, since it has been held that omission of an element and its function in a combination where the remaining elements perform the same functions as before involves only routine skill in the art. In re Karlson, 136 USPQ 184.
Regarding claim 5 Zhou in view of Audfly renders obvious all of the limitations of claim 1. Additionally, Zhou discloses further comprising a speaker positioned to output nonfocused sound audible to the occupants of the passenger seat and the operator seat (see at least [0668]; “when the central display screen and the front passenger screen display video content in a splicing manner, a priority of the vehicle loudspeaker may be set to be the highest,” the loudspeaker provides non-focused sound to the front occupants of the vehicle).
Regarding claim 6 Zhou in view of Audfly renders obvious all of the limitations of claim 5. Additionally, Zhou discloses further comprising a computer programmed to select one of the private sound device and the speaker for sound output (see at least [0100-0101]; “the selecting an audio output apparatus with a highest priority from the at least one audio output apparatus associated with the second sound zone as the second audio output apparatus includes: obtaining a priority order of the at least one audio output apparatus associated with the second sound zone; and selecting, based on the priority order of the at least one audio output apparatus associated with the second sound zone, an audio output apparatus with a highest priority from the at least one audio output apparatus associated with the second sound zone as the second audio output apparatus. In a possible design, the first space area is a space area in a vehicle cockpit, and any audio output apparatus includes at least one of an in-vehicle loudspeaker, a headrest speaker, or a Bluetooth headset”), and output sound corresponding to the visual content of the display panel to the selected one of the private sound device and the speaker (see at least [0103]; “in a scenario in which there are a plurality of displays and a plurality of audio output apparatuses in a space area, when displaying content on a display and playing a corresponding audio, an electronic device may select, from the plurality of sound zones, a sound zone associated with the display, and play the audio by using an audio output apparatus associated with the sound zone.”).
Zhou does not teach wherein the private sound device being a sound-generation film.
Audfly, in the same field of endeavor, teaches a sound-generation film (Examiner Note: Applicant admits at [0029] of applicant’s specification that “the sound-generation film 110 is an arrangement of transducers that convert an electrical signal into sound. For example, the sound-generation film 110 may emit ultrasonic waves from multiple transducers in respective locations arranged in a parametric array in the sound-generation film 110, generating an interference pattern of audible sound that is aimed in a specific direction, resulting in focused sound in that specific direction. For the purposes of this disclosure, the phrase “focused sound” is defined as sound directed along a beam that is inaudible outside of the beam. For example, the beam may have an angular width γ that is no more than 45° (e.g., approximately 15°). The beam may extend normal (i.e., perpendicular) to the sound-generation film 110. The beam may be fixed (i.e., nonadjustable), meaning that the position of the sound-generation film 110 defines the beam. One such sound-generation film 110 is manufactured by Audfly,” Applicant admits that the sound-generation film 110 is manufactured by Audfly) (see at least [0:23]; the transparent material composite structure corresponds to a film and is placed on glass/screens to provide sound-generation).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention with a reasonable expectation of success to have modified the vehicle display of Zhou with the Focusound in-car independent sound zone system of Audfly. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification for the benefit of preventing the listening experience and privacy from being compromised (see at least Audfly).
Regarding claim 9 Zhou in view of Audfly renders obvious all of the limitations of claim 6. Additionally, Zhou discloses wherein the computer is programmed to select the private sound device for sound output in response to switching the display panel to the private mode (see at least [0668]; “when the central display screen and the front passenger screen display video content in a splicing manner, a priority of the vehicle loudspeaker may be set to be the highest. When the front passenger screen displays a video in the private mode, a priority of a front passenger Bluetooth headset may be set to be higher than a priority of a front passenger loudspeaker,” when in splicing mode video is displayed to occupants of both front seats rather than just the front passenger seat in private mode, and [0100-0101]; “the selecting an audio output apparatus with a highest priority from the at least one audio output apparatus associated with the second sound zone as the second audio output apparatus includes: obtaining a priority order of the at least one audio output apparatus associated with the second sound zone; and selecting, based on the priority order of the at least one audio output apparatus associated with the second sound zone, an audio output apparatus with a highest priority from the at least one audio output apparatus associated with the second sound zone as the second audio output apparatus. In a possible design, the first space area is a space area in a vehicle cockpit, and any audio output apparatus includes at least one of an in-vehicle loudspeaker, a headrest speaker, or a Bluetooth headset,” in private mode sound is output privately via the headset).
Zhou does not teach wherein the private sound device being a sound-generation film.
Audfly, in the same field of endeavor, teaches a sound-generation film (Examiner Note: Applicant admits at [0029] of applicant’s specification that “the sound-generation film 110 is an arrangement of transducers that convert an electrical signal into sound. For example, the sound-generation film 110 may emit ultrasonic waves from multiple transducers in respective locations arranged in a parametric array in the sound-generation film 110, generating an interference pattern of audible sound that is aimed in a specific direction, resulting in focused sound in that specific direction. For the purposes of this disclosure, the phrase “focused sound” is defined as sound directed along a beam that is inaudible outside of the beam. For example, the beam may have an angular width γ that is no more than 45° (e.g., approximately 15°). The beam may extend normal (i.e., perpendicular) to the sound-generation film 110. The beam may be fixed (i.e., nonadjustable), meaning that the position of the sound-generation film 110 defines the beam. One such sound-generation film 110 is manufactured by Audfly,” Applicant admits that the sound-generation film 110 is manufactured by Audfly) (see at least [0:23]; the transparent material composite structure corresponds to a film and is placed on glass/screens to provide sound-generation).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention with a reasonable expectation of success to have modified the vehicle display of Zhou with the Focusound in-car independent sound zone system of Audfly. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification for the benefit of preventing the listening experience and privacy from being compromised (see at least Audfly).
Regarding claim 10 Zhou in view of Audfly renders obvious all of the limitations of claim 9. Additionally, Zhou discloses wherein the computer is programmed to select the speaker for sound output in response to switching the display panel to the public mode (see at least [0668]; “when the central display screen and the front passenger screen display video content in a splicing manner, a priority of the vehicle loudspeaker may be set to be the highest. When the front passenger screen displays a video in the private mode, a priority of a front passenger Bluetooth headset may be set to be higher than a priority of a front passenger loudspeaker,” when in splicing mode video is displayed to occupants of both front seats rather than just the front passenger seat in private mode, and [0100-0101]; “the selecting an audio output apparatus with a highest priority from the at least one audio output apparatus associated with the second sound zone as the second audio output apparatus includes: obtaining a priority order of the at least one audio output apparatus associated with the second sound zone; and selecting, based on the priority order of the at least one audio output apparatus associated with the second sound zone, an audio output apparatus with a highest priority from the at least one audio output apparatus associated with the second sound zone as the second audio output apparatus. In a possible design, the first space area is a space area in a vehicle cockpit, and any audio output apparatus includes at least one of an in-vehicle loudspeaker, a headrest speaker, or a Bluetooth headset,” in splicing mode which corresponds to Applicant’s public mode outputs sound for the loudspeaker).
Regarding claim 11 Zhou in view of Audfly renders obvious all of the limitations of claim 6. Additionally, Zhou discloses wherein the computer is programmed to select the sound-generation film for sound output in response to an input from an occupant of the vehicle (see at least [0798]; “When playing an audio, the control device preferentially uses the audio output apparatus manually selected by the user to play the audio.”).
Regarding claim 12 Zhou discloses a computer (see at least Fig. 9A) comprising a processor (see at least fig. 9A; processor 910) and a memory (see at least Fig. 9A; internal memory 921), the memory storing instructions executable by the processor to:
select one of a private sound device and a speaker for sound output, the private sound device positioned to emit focused sound audible to an occupant of a passenger seat of a vehicle and not audible to an occupant of an operator seat of the vehicle (see at least [0668]; “when the central display screen and the front passenger screen display video content in a splicing manner, a priority of the vehicle loudspeaker may be set to be the highest. When the front passenger screen displays a video in the private mode, a priority of a front passenger Bluetooth headset may be set to be higher than a priority of a front passenger loudspeaker,” when in splicing mode video is displayed to occupants of both front seats rather than just the front passenger seat in private mode, and [0100-0101]; “the selecting an audio output apparatus with a highest priority from the at least one audio output apparatus associated with the second sound zone as the second audio output apparatus includes: obtaining a priority order of the at least one audio output apparatus associated with the second sound zone; and selecting, based on the priority order of the at least one audio output apparatus associated with the second sound zone, an audio output apparatus with a highest priority from the at least one audio output apparatus associated with the second sound zone as the second audio output apparatus. In a possible design, the first space area is a space area in a vehicle cockpit, and any audio output apparatus includes at least one of an in-vehicle loudspeaker, a headrest speaker, or a Bluetooth headset,” in private mode sound is output privately via the headset and the driver cannot hear the audio),
…the speaker positioned to output nonfocused sound audible to the occupants of the passenger seat and the operator seat (see at least [0668]; “when the central display screen and the front passenger screen display video content in a splicing manner, a priority of the vehicle loudspeaker may be set to be the highest,” the loudspeaker provides non-focused sound to the front occupants of the vehicle); and
output sound corresponding to visual content of the display panel to the selected one of the sound-generation film and the speaker (see at least [0103]; “in a scenario in which there are a plurality of displays and a plurality of audio output apparatuses in a space area, when displaying content on a display and playing a corresponding audio, an electronic device may select, from the plurality of sound zones, a sound zone associated with the display, and play the audio by using an audio output apparatus associated with the sound zone.”).
Zhou does not disclose teaches the private sound device being a transparent sound-generation film…positioned to emit focused sound audible to the occupant of a passenger seat and not audible to the occupant of an operator seat of the vehicle, the sound-generation film laminated on an off-center subsection of a windshield of the vehicle such that a beam of the focused sound emitted by the sound-generation film intersects the passenger seat.
Audfly, in the same field of endeavor, teaches a transparent sound-generation film…positioned to emit focused sound audible to the occupant of a passenger seat and not audible to the occupant of an operator seat of the vehicle, the sound-generation film laminated on an off-center subsection of a windshield of the vehicle such that a beam of the focused sound emitted by the sound-generation film intersects the passenger seat (Examiner Note: Applicant admits at [0029] of applicant’s specification that “the sound-generation film 110 is an arrangement of transducers that convert an electrical signal into sound. For example, the sound-generation film 110 may emit ultrasonic waves from multiple transducers in respective locations arranged in a parametric array in the sound-generation film 110, generating an interference pattern of audible sound that is aimed in a specific direction, resulting in focused sound in that specific direction. For the purposes of this disclosure, the phrase “focused sound” is defined as sound directed along a beam that is inaudible outside of the beam. For example, the beam may have an angular width γ that is no more than 45° (e.g., approximately 15°). The beam may extend normal (i.e., perpendicular) to the sound-generation film 110. The beam may be fixed (i.e., nonadjustable), meaning that the position of the sound-generation film 110 defines the beam. One such sound-generation film 110 is manufactured by Audfly,” Applicant admits that the sound-generation film 110 is manufactured by Audfly) (see at least [0:10]; “creating independent sound zone,” and [1:45]; the video depicts a sound generation speaker on the windshield and on a dashboard display, sound is able to be emitted from the speaker to intersect with the passenger. It would have been an obvious matter of design choice to modify the location of the film, since applicant has not disclosed that placing the film on the windshield in front of the sound target solves any stated problem or is for any particular purpose and it appears that the invention would perform equally as well with placing the film on the dashboard in front of the sound target. Additionally, the specification as written by the Applicant appears to use placement on the windshield and placement on the display panel as obvious variants to one another.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention with a reasonable expectation of success to have modified the vehicle display of Zhou with the Focusound in-car independent sound zone system of Audfly. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification for the benefit of preventing the listening experience and privacy from being compromised (see at least Audfly).
Regarding claim 15 Zhou in view of Audfly renders obvious all of the limitations of claim 12. Additionally, Zhou discloses wherein the instructions further include instructions to switch the display panel between a private mode and a public mode (see at least [0668]; “when the central display screen and the front passenger screen display video content in a splicing manner, a priority of the vehicle loudspeaker may be set to be the highest. When the front passenger screen displays a video in the private mode, a priority of a front passenger Bluetooth headset may be set to be higher than a priority of a front passenger loudspeaker,” displaying in a splicing manner is a public mode as the driver is able to see the video playing),
the display panel in the private mode displaying visual content visible to an occupant of a first seat of the vehicle and not visible to an occupant of a second seat of the vehicle (see at least [0668]; “when the central display screen and the front passenger screen display video content in a splicing manner, a priority of the vehicle loudspeaker may be set to be the highest. When the front passenger screen displays a video in the private mode, a priority of a front passenger Bluetooth headset may be set to be higher than a priority of a front passenger loudspeaker,” the private display only displays video to the front passenger screen),
the display panel in the public mode display visual content visible to occupants of the first seat and of the second seat (see at least [0668]; “when the central display screen and the front passenger screen display video content in a splicing manner, a priority of the vehicle loudspeaker may be set to be the highest. When the front passenger screen displays a video in the private mode, a priority of a front passenger Bluetooth headset may be set to be higher than a priority of a front passenger loudspeaker,” when in splicing mode video is displayed to occupants of both front seats rather than just the front passenger seat in private mode).
Regarding claim 16 Zhou in view of Audfly renders obvious all of the limitations of claim 15. Additionally, Zhou wherein the instructions further include instructions to select the private sound device for sound output in response to switching the display panel to the private mode (see at least [0668]; “when the central display screen and the front passenger screen display video content in a splicing manner, a priority of the vehicle loudspeaker may be set to be the highest. When the front passenger screen displays a video in the private mode, a priority of a front passenger Bluetooth headset may be set to be higher than a priority of a front passenger loudspeaker,” when in splicing mode video is displayed to occupants of both front seats rather than just the front passenger seat in private mode, and [0100-0101]; “the selecting an audio output apparatus with a highest priority from the at least one audio output apparatus associated with the second sound zone as the second audio output apparatus includes: obtaining a priority order of the at least one audio output apparatus associated with the second sound zone; and selecting, based on the priority order of the at least one audio output apparatus associated with the second sound zone, an audio output apparatus with a highest priority from the at least one audio output apparatus associated with the second sound zone as the second audio output apparatus. In a possible design, the first space area is a space area in a vehicle cockpit, and any audio output apparatus includes at least one of an in-vehicle loudspeaker, a headrest speaker, or a Bluetooth headset,” in private mode sound is output privately via the headset).
Zhou does not teach wherein the private sound device being a sound-generation film.
Audfly, in the same field of endeavor, teaches a sound-generation film (Examiner Note: Applicant admits at [0029] of applicant’s specification that “the sound-generation film 110 is an arrangement of transducers that convert an electrical signal into sound. For example, the sound-generation film 110 may emit ultrasonic waves from multiple transducers in respective locations arranged in a parametric array in the sound-generation film 110, generating an interference pattern of audible sound that is aimed in a specific direction, resulting in focused sound in that specific direction. For the purposes of this disclosure, the phrase “focused sound” is defined as sound directed along a beam that is inaudible outside of the beam. For example, the beam may have an angular width γ that is no more than 45° (e.g., approximately 15°). The beam may extend normal (i.e., perpendicular) to the sound-generation film 110. The beam may be fixed (i.e., nonadjustable), meaning that the position of the sound-generation film 110 defines the beam. One such sound-generation film 110 is manufactured by Audfly,” Applicant admits that the sound-generation film 110 is manufactured by Audfly) (see at least [0:23]; the transparent material composite structure corresponds to a film and is placed on glass/screens to provide sound-generation).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention with a reasonable expectation of success to have modified the vehicle display of Zhou with the Focusound in-car independent sound zone system of Audfly. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification for the benefit of preventing the listening experience and privacy from being compromised (see at least Audfly).
Regarding claim 17 Zhou in view of Audfly renders obvious all of the limitations of claim 16. Additionally, Zhou wherein the instructions further include instructions to select the speaker for sound output in response to switching the display panel to the public mode (see at least [0668]; “when the central display screen and the front passenger screen display video content in a splicing manner, a priority of the vehicle loudspeaker may be set to be the highest. When the front passenger screen displays a video in the private mode, a priority of a front passenger Bluetooth headset may be set to be higher than a priority of a front passenger loudspeaker,” when in splicing mode video is displayed to occupants of both front seats rather than just the front passenger seat in private mode, and [0100-0101]; “the selecting an audio output apparatus with a highest priority from the at least one audio output apparatus associated with the second sound zone as the second audio output apparatus includes: obtaining a priority order of the at least one audio output apparatus associated with the second sound zone; and selecting, based on the priority order of the at least one audio output apparatus associated with the second sound zone, an audio output apparatus with a highest priority from the at least one audio output apparatus associated with the second sound zone as the second audio output apparatus. In a possible design, the first space area is a space area in a vehicle cockpit, and any audio output apparatus includes at least one of an in-vehicle loudspeaker, a headrest speaker, or a Bluetooth headset,” in splicing mode which corresponds to Applicant’s public mode outputs sound for the loudspeaker).
Regarding claim 18 Zhou in view of Audfly renders obvious all of the limitations of claim 12. Additionally, Zhou discloses wherein the instructions further include instructions to select the sound-generation film for sound output in response to an input from an occupant of the vehicle (see at least [0798]; “When playing an audio, the control device preferentially uses the audio output apparatus manually selected by the user to play the audio”).
Regarding claim 19 Zhou discloses a method (see at least [0002]; “This application relates to the field of in-vehicle device technologies, and in particular, to a control method and an electronic device”) comprising:
selecting one of a private sound device and a speaker for sound output (see at least [0100-0101]; “the selecting an audio output apparatus with a highest priority from the at least one audio output apparatus associated with the second sound zone as the second audio output apparatus includes: obtaining a priority order of the at least one audio output apparatus associated with the second sound zone; and selecting, based on the priority order of the at least one audio output apparatus associated with the second sound zone, an audio output apparatus with a highest priority from the at least one audio output apparatus associated with the second sound zone as the second audio output apparatus. In a possible design, the first space area is a space area in a vehicle cockpit, and any audio output apparatus includes at least one of an in-vehicle loudspeaker, a headrest speaker, or a Bluetooth headset,” in private mode sound is output privately via the headset and the driver cannot hear the audio),
the private sound device positioned to emit focused sound audible to an occupant of a passenger seat of a vehicle and not audible to an occupant of an operator seat of the vehicle (see at least [0668]; “when the central display screen and the front passenger screen display video content in a splicing manner, a priority of the vehicle loudspeaker may be set to be the highest. When the front passenger screen displays a video in the private mode, a priority of a front passenger Bluetooth headset may be set to be higher than a priority of a front passenger loudspeaker,” when in splicing mode video is displayed to occupants of both front seats rather than just the front passenger seat in private mode, and [0100-0101]; “the selecting an audio output apparatus with a highest priority from the at least one audio output apparatus associated with the second sound zone as the second audio output apparatus includes: obtaining a priority order of the at least one audio output apparatus associated with the second sound zone; and selecting, based on the priority order of the at least one audio output apparatus associated with the second sound zone, an audio output apparatus with a highest priority from the at least one audio output apparatus associated with the second sound zone as the second audio output apparatus. In a possible design, the first space area is a space area in a vehicle cockpit, and any audio output apparatus includes at least one of an in-vehicle loudspeaker, a headrest speaker, or a Bluetooth headset,” in private mode sound is output privately via the headset and the driver cannot hear the audio),
…the speaker positioned to output nonfocused sound audible to the occupants of the passenger seat and the operator seat (see at least [0668]; “when the central display screen and the front passenger screen display video content in a splicing manner, a priority of the vehicle loudspeaker may be set to be the highest,” the loudspeaker provides non-focused sound to the front occupants of the vehicle); and
outputting sound corresponding to visual content of the display panel to the selected one of the sound-generation film and the speaker (see at least [0103]; “in a scenario in which there are a plurality of displays and a plurality of audio output apparatuses in a space area, when displaying content on a display and playing a corresponding audio, an electronic device may select, from the plurality of sound zones, a sound zone associated with the display, and play the audio by using an audio output apparatus associated with the sound zone.”).
Zhou does not disclose teaches the private sound device being the private sound device being a transparent sound-generation film…positioned to emit focused sound audible to the occupant of a passenger seat and not audible to the occupant of an operator seat of the vehicle, the sound-generation film laminated on an off-center subsection of a windshield of the vehicle such that a beam of the focused sound emitted by the sound-generation film intersects the passenger seat.
Audfly, in the same field of endeavor, teaches a transparent sound-generation film…positioned to emit focused sound audible to the occupant of a passenger seat and not audible to the occupant of an operator seat of the vehicle, the sound-generation film laminated on an off-center subsection of a windshield of the vehicle such that a beam of the focused sound emitted by the sound-generation film intersects the passenger seat (Examiner Note: Applicant admits at [0029] of applicant’s specification that “the sound-generation film 110 is an arrangement of transducers that convert an electrical signal into sound. For example, the sound-generation film 110 may emit ultrasonic waves from multiple transducers in respective locations arranged in a parametric array in the sound-generation film 110, generating an interference pattern of audible sound that is aimed in a specific direction, resulting in focused sound in that specific direction. For the purposes of this disclosure, the phrase “focused sound” is defined as sound directed along a beam that is inaudible outside of the beam. For example, the beam may have an angular width γ that is no more than 45° (e.g., approximately 15°). The beam may extend normal (i.e., perpendicular) to the sound-generation film 110. The beam may be fixed (i.e., nonadjustable), meaning that the position of the sound-generation film 110 defines the beam. One such sound-generation film 110 is manufactured by Audfly,” Applicant admits that the sound-generation film 110 is manufactured by Audfly) (see at least [0:10]; “creating independent sound zone,” and [1:45]; the video depicts a sound generation speaker on the windshield and on a dashboard display, sound is able to be emitted from the speaker to intersect with the passenger. It would have been an obvious matter of design choice to modify the location of the film, since applicant has not disclosed that placing the film on the windshield in front of the sound target solves any stated problem or is for any particular purpose and it appears that the invention would perform equally as well with placing the film on the dashboard in front of the sound target. Additionally, the specification as written by the Applicant appears to use placement on the windshield and placement on the display panel as obvious variants to one another.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention with a reasonable expectation of success to have modified the vehicle display of Zhou with the Focusound in-car independent sound zone system of Audfly. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification for the benefit of preventing the listening experience and privacy from being compromised (see at least Audfly).
Regarding claim 20 Zhou in view of Audfly renders obvious all of the limitations of claim 19. Additionally, Audfly, in the same field of endeavor, teaches wherein the sound-generation film is laminated on the windshield (see at least [1:45]; the video depicts a sound generation speaker on the windshield and on a dashboard display, sound is able to be emitted from the speaker to intersect with an occupant. It would have been an obvious matter of design choice to modify the location of the film, since applicant has not disclosed that placing the film on the windshield in front of the sound target solves any stated problem or is for any particular purpose and it appears that the invention would perform equally as well with placing the film on the dashboard in front of the sound target. Additionally, the specification as written by the Applicant appears to use placement on the windshield and placement on the display panel as obvious variants to one another.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention with a reasonable expectation of success to have modified the vehicle display of Zhou with the Focusound in-car independent sound zone system of Audfly. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification for the benefit of preventing the listening experience and privacy from being compromised (see at least Audfly).
Regarding claim 22 Zhou in view of Audfly renders obvious all of the limitations of claim 1. Zhou does not disclose wherein the sound-generation film is arranged to emit the focused sound as the beam perpendicular to the sound-generation film, the beam having an angular width of no more than 45° (see at least [1:45]; the video depicts a sound generation emission beam emitted from the speaker to intersect with an occupant. As seen by the video the beam appears to be perpendicular to the sound-generation film and has a beam with an angular width. The exact angular width of the beam is unclear; however, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to modify the angle, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention with a reasonable expectation of success to have modified the vehicle display of Zhou with the Focusound in-car independent sound zone system of Audfly. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification for the benefit of preventing the listening experience and privacy from being compromised (see at least Audfly).
Claim(s) 7, 8, 13, and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhou in view of Audfly, as applied to claim 6 above, in view of US-20240184032 (hereinafter, “Kim”).
Regarding claim 7 Zhou in view of Audfly renders obvious all of the limitations of claim 6. Zhou does not disclose wherein the computer is programmed to select the sound-generation film for sound output in response to the vehicle being in motion.
Kim, in the same field of endeavor, teaches wherein the computer is programmed to select the private sound device for sound output in response to the vehicle being in motion (see at least [0131]; “In particular, the display device 3 can operate in a privacy viewing mode while the vehicle is in operation. For example, the display device 3 can operate in the privacy viewing mode when displaying videos or other content that can be deemed distracting to the user while driving. In contrast, the display device 3 can operate in a share viewing mode during non-driving periods of the vehicle”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention with a reasonable expectation of success to have modified the vehicle display of Zhou as modified by Audfly with the mode selection based on vehicle state of Kim. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification for the benefit of ensuring safe driving while providing high-quality images to passengers (see at least Kim; [0004]).
Regarding claim 8 Zhou in view of Audfly and Kim renders obvious all of the limitations of claim 7. Additionally, Kim, in the same field of endeavor, teaches wherein the computer is programmed to select the public mode for sound output in response to the vehicle being stationary (see at least [0131]; “In particular, the display device 3 can operate in a privacy viewing mode while the vehicle is in operation. For example, the display device 3 can operate in the privacy viewing mode when displaying videos or other content that can be deemed distracting to the user while driving. In contrast, the display device 3 can operate in a share viewing mode during non-driving periods of the vehicle”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention with a reasonable expectation of success to have modified the vehicle display of Zhou as modified by Audfly with the mode selection based on vehicle state of Kim. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification for the benefit of ensuring safe driving while providing high-quality images to passengers (see at least Kim; [0004]).
Regarding claim 13 Zhou in view of Audfly renders obvious all of the limitations of claim 12. Zhou does not disclose wherein the instructions further include instructions to select the sound-generation film for sound output in response to the vehicle being in motion.
Kim, in the same field of endeavor, teaches wherein the instructions further include instructions to select the sound-generation film for sound output in response to the vehicle being in motion (see at least [0131]; “In particular, the display device 3 can operate in a privacy viewing mode while the vehicle is in operation. For example, the display device 3 can operate in the privacy viewing mode when displaying videos or other content that can be deemed distracting to the user while driving. In contrast, the display device 3 can operate in a share viewing mode during non-driving periods of the vehicle”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention with a reasonable expectation of success to have modified the vehicle display of Zhou as modified by Audfly with the mode selection based on vehicle state of Kim. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification for the benefit of ensuring safe driving while providing high-quality images to passengers (see at least Kim; [0004]).
Regarding claim 14 Zhou in view of Audfly and Kim renders obvious all of the limitations of claim 13. Additionally, Kim, in the same field of endeavor, teaches wherein the instructions further include instructions to select the public sound device for sound output in response to the vehicle being stationary (see at least [0131]; “In particular, the display device 3 can operate in a privacy viewing mode while the vehicle is in operation. For example, the display device 3 can operate in the privacy viewing mode when displaying videos or other content that can be deemed distracting to the user while driving. In contrast, the display device 3 can operate in a share viewing mode during non-driving periods of the vehicle”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention with a reasonable expectation of success to have modified the vehicle display of Zhou as modified by Audfly with the mode selection based on vehicle state of Kim. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification for the benefit of ensuring safe driving while providing high-quality images to passengers (see at least Kim; [0004]).
Claim(s) 21 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhou in view of Audfly, as applied to claim 6 above, in view of WO-2024239939 (hereinafter, “Mao”).
Regarding claim 21 Zhou in view of Audfly renders obvious all of the limitations of claim 1. Zhou does not disclose wherein the sound-generation film includes a plurality of transducers configured to emit ultrasonic waves, the transducers being arranged in a parametric array within the sound-generation film.
Mao, in the same field of endeavor, teaches wherein the sound-generation film includes a plurality of transducers configured to emit ultrasonic waves, the transducers being arranged in a parametric array within the sound-generation film (see at least [0046]; “In addition, as shown in Figure 4, the electrostatic thin-film ultrasonic transducer can include the above-mentioned multiple ultrasonic sound generating units, that is, it can extend and expand multiple ultrasonic sound generating units. The multiple ultrasonic sound generating units can be distributed in an array form, such as a square array, a circular array, etc., that is, multiple electrostatic thin-film ultrasonic sound generating units are combined together, which can be applied to parametric array loudspeakers.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention with a reasonable expectation of success to have modified the vehicle display of Zhou as modified by Audfly with the parametric array. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification for the benefit of providing an electrostatic thin-film ultrasonic transducer that simplifies the structure and reduces the complexity of the manufacturing process (see at least Mao; [0006]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US-20250199362 teaches a motor vehicle display which may operate in a public mode to display contents to one or more occupants and in a private mode to display contents to a single occupant.
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/ASHLEIGH NICOLE TURNBAUGH/Examiner, Art Unit 3667
/Hitesh Patel/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3667
3/20/26