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 .
DETAILED ACTION
This Office Action is in response to CLAIMS entered for patent application 18/832,896 filed on July 24, 2024.
Claims 1-15 are pending.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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 1-3 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Bowling (Pub. No.: US 2018/0181366).
Regarding claim 1, Bowling discloses a method for on-demand audiovisual (AV) data processing for playback in a vehicle (Fig. 1, element 121), comprising: pre-processing, with a local digital signal processor of the vehicle, an AV data file, the pre-processing including forming a plurality of digital AV signals from the AV data file (para. [0097]; “pre-processing” of the stream can include extracting audio from a video conferencing session); sending at least a portion of the plurality of digital AV signals to a cloud-based server configured to apply one or more processing features to the at least the portion of the plurality of digital AV signals (para. [0089]; “Computing device 200 may receive an audio data stream, send it to cloud system 300 to be processed remotely, and receive a modified data stream from cloud system 300 for output at computing device 200.”); receiving processed versions of the at least the portion of the plurality of digital AV signals from the cloud-based server (para. [0089]; “Computing device 200 may receive an audio data stream, send it to cloud system 300 to be processed remotely, and receive a modified data stream from cloud system 300 for output at computing device 200.”); and outputting the processed versions of the at least the portion of the plurality of digital AV signals to one or more AV sinks of the vehicle (para. [0089]; “Computing device 200 may receive an audio data stream, send it to cloud system 300 to be processed remotely, and receive a modified data stream from cloud system 300 for output at computing device 200;” see also Fig. 5, paras. [0109]-[0112]).
Regarding claim 2, Bowling discloses the method of claim 1, wherein sending at least the portion of the plurality of digital AV signals to the cloud-based server comprises receiving, from the cloud-based server, a request indicating which of the plurality of digital AV signals to send to the cloud-based server and sending the at least the portion of the plurality of digital AV signals to the cloud-based server in response to the request (Fig. 5, paras. [0109]-[0112]).
Regarding claim 3, Bowling discloses the method of claim 2, further comprising sending, to the cloud-based server, an indication of the one or more processing features to be applied to the at least the portion of the plurality of digital AV signals, and wherein the cloud-based server is configured to determine which of the plurality of digital AV signals to request based on the one or more processing features to be applied (Fig. 5, paras. [0109]-[0112]).
Regarding claim 7, Bowling discloses the method of claim 1, wherein only the portion of the plurality of digital AV signals are sent to the cloud-based server and processed versions of only the portion of the plurality of digital AV signals are received from the cloud-based server, and further comprising outputting a remainder of the plurality of digital AV signals along with the processed versions of only the portion of the plurality of digital AV signals to the one or more AV sinks (para. [0036]).
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 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bowling (Pub. No.: US 2018/0181366) in view of Sadowksi et al. (Pat. No.: 8,537,890).
Regarding claim 4, Bowling discloses the method of claim 1, but it could be argued that Bowling does not explicitly disclose wherein the plurality of digital AV signals is stored in a first buffer and further comprising saving the processed versions of the at least the portion of the plurality of digital AV signals in a second buffer. However, in analogous art, Sadowksi discloses “receiving an input that includes video data, wherein the video data is compressed; decompressing the video data; writing via a first write port the processed video data to a buffer in order to process the video data, wherein the video data written in only a first format based on input requirements of the first device, wherein the first device is a video decoder; and writing uncompressed video data to a second buffer to enable the uncompressed video data to be processed by a second device, wherein the uncompressed video data is written in a second format based on requirements of the second device (see the language of claim 11).” Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Bowling to allow for the plurality of digital AV signals to be stored in a first buffer and further comprising saving the processed versions of the at least the portion of the plurality of digital AV signals in a second buffer. This would have produced predictable and desirable results, in that it would allow for different formats of the same content to be stored in different buffers, which allows for quicker access to a particular version when requested, which could improve system performance and user satisfaction.
Claims 5 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bowling (Pub. No.: US 2018/0181366) in view of Sadowksi et al. (Pat. No.: 8,537,890) and Potetsianakis et al. (Pub. No.: US 2024/0212294).
Regarding claim 5, the combination of Bowling and Sadowksi discloses the method of claim 4, but does not explicitly disclose further comprising determining that a network connection to the cloud-based server has been lost, and in response, cross-morphing the processed versions of the at least the portion of the plurality of digital AV signals saved in the second buffer with locally processed versions of the at least the portion of the plurality of digital AV signals, the locally processed versions of the at least the portion of the plurality of digital AV signals processed by the local digital signal processor. However, in analogous art, Potetsianakis discloses that “[t]he rendering device 100 may in turn render the scene as the augmentation of the video object or the external environment, namely by locally rendering the first part of the scene and by including the prerendered version of the second part of the scene, for example by blending or otherwise combining the prerendered version of the second part of the scene with the locally rendered first part (para. [0155]),” wherein “if there is little available bandwidth, the client may switch or change the ratio towards local rendering, whereas if there is ample available bandwidth, the client may switch or change the ratio towards remote rendering. This may for example involve the following steps: 1. If the bandwidth is too low or reduces to zero (e.g., when the client loses network connectivity connection), the client may switch to local rendering (paras. [0228]-[0229]).” Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Bowling and Sadowksi to allow for determining that a network connection to the cloud-based server has been lost, and in response, cross-morphing the processed versions of the at least the portion of the plurality of digital AV signals saved in the second buffer with locally processed versions of the at least the portion of the plurality of digital AV signals, the locally processed versions of the at least the portion of the plurality of digital AV signals processed by the local digital signal processor. This would have produced predictable and desirable results, in that it would allow for the presentation to continue with minimum disruption were the connection to the server lost, which could increase user satisfaction with the system.
Regarding claim 6, the combination of Bowling, Sadowksi and Potetsianakis discloses the method of claim 5, and further discloses further comprising determining that the network connection to the cloud-based server has been restored, and in response, cross-morphing the processed versions of the at least the portion of the plurality of digital AV signals received from the cloud-based server after the network connection is restored with locally processed versions of the at least the portion of the plurality of digital AV signals (Potetsianakis, paras. [0155] and [0228]-[0230]. This claim is rejected on the same grounds as claim 5.).
Claims 8-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bowling (Pub. No.: US 2018/0181366) in view of Filos et al. (Pub. No.: US 2022/0382509).
Regarding claim 8, Bowling discloses the method of claim 1, but does not explicitly disclose wherein the AV data file is obtained from a local media source positioned in the vehicle. However, in analogous art, Filos discloses a multi-speaker audio playback system 136 (Fig. 1, element 136, para. [0030]), wherein a “device 900 may include a voice-activated device, an audio device, a wireless speaker and voice activated device, a portable electronic device, a car, a vehicle, a computing device, a communication device, an internet-of-things (IoT) device, a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, a smart speaker, a mobile communication device, a smart phone, a cellular phone, a laptop computer, a computer, a tablet, a personal digital assistant, a display device, a television, a gaming console, a music player, a radio, a digital video player, a digital video disc (DVD) player, a tuner, a camera, a navigation device, or any combination thereof (para. [0087]).” Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Bowling to allow for the AV data file to be obtained from a local media source positioned in the vehicle. This would have produced predictable and desirable results, in that it would allow for users to bring external devices, such as cellular phones, into their vehicles to provide audio to the vehicle’s sound system, a process well-known in the art.
Regarding claim 9, Bowling discloses the method of claim 1, but does not explicitly disclose wherein the AV data file comprises an audio file and the one or more AV sinks comprise one or more speakers of the vehicle, and wherein the one or more processing features applied to the at least the portion of the plurality of digital AV signals comprise one or more of surround sound, immersion effects, reverberations, virtual speakers, virtual bass, and adaptive equalization. However, in analogous art, Filos discloses a multi-speaker audio playback system 136 (Fig. 1, element 136, para. [0030]), wherein an “output signals 141 can be based on configuration settings (e.g., a surround sound configuration, a channel balance setting, etc.) of the multi-speaker audio playback system 136, configuration settings of the speaker controller 108, configuration settings of the speakers 120, or a combination thereof (para. [0038]),” wherein “[t]he device 900 may include a voice-activated device, an audio device, a wireless speaker and voice activated device, a portable electronic device, a car, a vehicle, a computing device, a communication device, an internet-of-things (IoT) device, a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, a smart speaker, a mobile communication device, a smart phone, a cellular phone, a laptop computer, a computer, a tablet, a personal digital assistant, a display device, a television, a gaming console, a music player, a radio, a digital video player, a digital video disc (DVD) player, a tuner, a camera, a navigation device, or any combination thereof (para. [0087]).” Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Bowling to allow for the AV data file to comprise an audio file and the one or more AV sinks to comprise one or more speakers of the vehicle, and wherein the one or more processing features applied to the at least the portion of the plurality of digital AV signals comprise one or more of surround sound, immersion effects, reverberations, virtual speakers, virtual bass, and adaptive equalization. This would have produced predictable and desirable results, in that it would allow for well-known components and features of an audio system to be used, which could increase user satisfaction with the system.
Regarding claim 10, Bowling discloses a multimedia system for a vehicle (Fig. 1, element 121), comprising: a digital signal processor comprising an input buffer configured to receive an audiovisual (AV) data file (Fig. 2, element 244, para. [0031]), a component configured to pre-process the AV data file to form a plurality of digital AV signals (para. [0097]; “pre-processing” of the stream can include extracting audio from a video conferencing session), a main signal processor configured to apply a first, smaller set of processing features to the plurality of digital AV signals, and an output buffer (para. [0090]); a sender configured to send the AV data file in the input buffer or one or more of the plurality of digital AV signals from the component to a cloud server, the cloud server configured to apply a processing feature to the AV data file or the plurality of digital AV signals to form a set of cloud-processed digital AV signals (para. [0089]; “Computing device 200 may receive an audio data stream, send it to cloud system 300 to be processed remotely, and receive a modified data stream from cloud system 300 for output at computing device 200.”); a receiver configured to receive the set of cloud-processed digital AV signals (para. [0089]; “Computing device 200 may receive an audio data stream, send it to cloud system 300 to be processed remotely, and receive a modified data stream from cloud system 300 for output at computing device 200.”); and one or more AV sinks configured to output the set of cloud-processed digital AV signals for playback (para. [0089]; “Computing device 200 may receive an audio data stream, send it to cloud system 300 to be processed remotely, and receive a modified data stream from cloud system 300 for output at computing device 200;” see also Fig. 5, paras. [0109]-[0112]).
Bowling does not explicitly disclose wherein it is an upmixer configured to pre-process the AV data file, and thus does not disclose a sender configured to send the AV data file in the input buffer or one or more of the plurality of digital AV signals from the upmixer to a cloud server, the cloud server configured to apply a second, larger set of processing features to the AV data file or the plurality of digital AV signals to form a set of cloud-processed digital AV signals. However, in analogous art, Filos discloses a multi-speaker audio playback system 136 (Fig. 1, element 136, para. [0030]), wherein an “output signals 141 can be based on configuration settings (e.g., a surround sound configuration, a channel balance setting, etc.) of the multi-speaker audio playback system 136, configuration settings of the speaker controller 108, configuration settings of the speakers 120, or a combination thereof (para. [0038]),” wherein “[t]he device 900 may include a voice-activated device, an audio device, a wireless speaker and voice activated device, a portable electronic device, a car, a vehicle, a computing device, a communication device, an internet-of-things (IoT) device, a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, a smart speaker, a mobile communication device, a smart phone, a cellular phone, a laptop computer, a computer, a tablet, a personal digital assistant, a display device, a television, a gaming console, a music player, a radio, a digital video player, a digital video disc (DVD) player, a tuner, a camera, a navigation device, or any combination thereof (para. [0087]),” and wherein a “user-device interaction detector 106 (or another component of the system 100) performs spatial audio upmixing 302 of the audio signal 153 to generate an upmixed signal 337. The user-device interaction detector 106 performs the keyword detection 304 based on the upmixed signal 337 (para. [0060]).” Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Bowling to allow for an upmixer to be configured to pre-process the AV data file, wherein a sender is configured to send the AV data file in the input buffer or one or more of the plurality of digital AV signals from the upmixer to a cloud server, the cloud server configured to apply a second, larger set of processing features to the AV data file or the plurality of digital AV signals to form a set of cloud-processed digital AV signals. This would have produced predictable and desirable results, in that it would allow for well-known components and features of an audio system to be used, which could increase user satisfaction with the system.
Regarding claim 11, the combination of Bowling and Filos discloses the multimedia system of claim 10, and further discloses wherein the AV data file comprises an audio file and the one or more AV sinks comprise one or more speakers of the vehicle, and wherein the second, larger set of processing features comprise one or more of surround sound, immersion effects, reverberations, virtual speakers, virtual bass, and adaptive equalization (Filos, Fig. 1, element 136, paras. [0030], [0038] and [0087]. This claim is rejected on the same grounds as claim 9.).
Regarding claim 12, the combination of Bowling and Filos discloses the multimedia system of claim 10, and further discloses wherein the AV data file is obtained from a local media source positioned in the vehicle (Filos discloses a multi-speaker audio playback system 136 (Fig. 1, element 136, para. [0030]), wherein a “device 900 may include a voice-activated device, an audio device, a wireless speaker and voice activated device, a portable electronic device, a car, a vehicle, a computing device, a communication device, an internet-of-things (IoT) device, a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, a smart speaker, a mobile communication device, a smart phone, a cellular phone, a laptop computer, a computer, a tablet, a personal digital assistant, a display device, a television, a gaming console, a music player, a radio, a digital video player, a digital video disc (DVD) player, a tuner, a camera, a navigation device, or any combination thereof (para. [0087]).” Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to further modify Bowling to allow for the AV data file to be obtained from a local media source positioned in the vehicle. This would have produced predictable and desirable results, in that it would allow for users to bring external devices, such as cellular phones, into their vehicles to provide audio to the vehicle’s sound system, a process well-known in the art.).
Regarding claim 13, the combination of Bowling and Filos discloses the multimedia system of claim 12, and further discloses wherein the local media source comprises a mobile phone, and wherein the sender is configured to send the AV data file in the input buffer or one or more of the plurality of digital AV signals from the upmixer to the cloud server via the mobile phone (Bowling, para. [0048]; Filos, para. [0087]. This claim is rejected on the same grounds as claim 12.).
Claim 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bowling (Pub. No.: US 2018/0181366) in view of Filos et al. (Pub. No.: US 2022/0382509) and Potetsianakis et al. (Pub. No.: US 2024/0212294).
Regarding claim 14, the combination of Bowling and Filos discloses the multimedia system of claim 10, but does not explicitly disclose further comprising a cross-morpher configured to, in response to a determination that a network connection to the cloud server has been lost, cross-morph the set of cloud-processed digital AV signals with locally processed versions of the digital AV signals, the locally processed versions of the digital AV signals processed by the digital signal processor. However, in analogous art, Potetsianakis discloses that “[t]he rendering device 100 may in turn render the scene as the augmentation of the video object or the external environment, namely by locally rendering the first part of the scene and by including the prerendered version of the second part of the scene, for example by blending or otherwise combining the prerendered version of the second part of the scene with the locally rendered first part (para. [0155]),” wherein “if there is little available bandwidth, the client may switch or change the ratio towards local rendering, whereas if there is ample available bandwidth, the client may switch or change the ratio towards remote rendering. This may for example involve the following steps: 1. If the bandwidth is too low or reduces to zero (e.g., when the client loses network connectivity connection), the client may switch to local rendering (paras. [0228]-[0229]).” Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Bowling and Filos to allow for the system to comprise a cross-morpher configured to, in response to a determination that a network connection to the cloud server has been lost, cross-morph the set of cloud-processed digital AV signals with locally processed versions of the digital AV signals, the locally processed versions of the digital AV signals processed by the digital signal processor. This would have produced predictable and desirable results, in that it would allow for the presentation to continue with minimum disruption were the connection to the server lost, which could increase user satisfaction with the system.
Claim 15 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bowling (Pub. No.: US 2018/0181366) in view of Filos et al. (Pub. No.: US 2022/0382509) and Jiang et al. (Pub. No.: US 2020/0272479).
Regarding claim 15, the combination of Bowling and Filos discloses the multimedia system of claim 10, but does not explicitly disclose wherein the receiver is configured to translate a requested abstract target buffer received with the set of cloud-processed digital AV signals to one or more physical buffers corresponding to the requested abstract target buffer and send the set of cloud-processed digital AV signals to the one or more AV sinks according to the one or more physical buffers. However, in analogous art, Jiang discloses “calculating a matrix product of a first matrix stored in a first abstract buffer and a second matrix stored in a second abstract buffer; and storing the matrix product in a third abstract buffer, wherein: in response to a second register having a fourth value: the first abstract buffer is mapped to a first physical buffer, the second abstract buffer is mapped to a second physical buffer, and the third abstract buffer is mapped to a third physical buffer; and in response to the second register having a fifth value: the first abstract buffer is mapped to the first physical buffer, the second abstract buffer is mapped to the third physical buffer, and the third abstract buffer is mapped to the second physical buffer (para. [0025]).” Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Bowling and Filos to allow for the receiver to be configured to translate a requested abstract target buffer received with the set of cloud-processed digital AV signals to one or more physical buffers corresponding to the requested abstract target buffer and send the set of cloud-processed digital AV signals to the one or more AV sinks according to the one or more physical buffers. This would have produced predictable and desirable results, in that it would allow for the data to be properly processed and stored using the physical buffers.
Conclusion
Claims 1-15 are rejected.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Joshua D Taylor whose telephone number is (571)270-3755. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8 am - 6 pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Nasser Goodarzi can be reached at 571-272-4195. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/Joshua D Taylor/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2426 April 29, 2026
Prosecution Insights