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
Claims 11-12,15 and 24 are canceled
Claims 1-10, 13-14 and 16-23 are rejected
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 7, 13-14 and 16-23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 7 merely recites ‘a use’ without any active, positive steps delimiting how this use is actually practiced. This renders the claim indefinite.
Claims 13 and 23 each recites the limitation "the estimated target spatial features" in line 10 and in line 12 respectively. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claims 14 and 16-22 inherit the deficiency of claim 13.
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.
Claim(s) 1-10, 13-14 and 16-23 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Eroneh et al (WO 2019185990, using the family member: US PUB 20210051430 hereinafter Eroneh).
Regarding Claim 1, Eroneh discloses an apparatus (e.g. spatial synthesizer apparatus 111, see figure 5), comprising at least one processor (e.g. processors 503, 505); and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed with the at least one processor (e.g. apparatus 111 could be controlled by the processor an associated memory, see [0052]), cause the apparatus at least to: obtain a spatial audio signal comprising one or more audio signals and associated spatial metadata (e.g. inputs to the synthesizer 111 includes the transport audio signal stream 110 and the input ambiance energy distribution parameters 104), (see [0149] and figure 5), wherein the associated spatial metadata is configured to enable rendering of spatial audio from the one or more audio signals (e.g. rendering of prototype audio output signal), (see [0150], figure 5), and wherein the spatial audio comprises direct audio (e.g. direct audio generation), (see [0152]), and indirect audio (e.g. diffuse signal generation), (see [0165], and figure 5), determine directional distribution information for the indirect audio using at least the associated spatial metadata (e.g. the diffuse part gain determiner 517 may be configured to selectively distribute the energy unevenly to different directions based on input ambient energy), determine rendering information (e.g. determination of the diffuse part gain) corresponding to the determined directional distribution information (see [0140]-[0142] and [0167]-[0168], also figure 5); and enable rendering of the spatial audio using the determined rendering information, the one or more audio signals, and the associated spatial metadata (e.g. a combiner 521 combines the processed diffuse audio signal part and the processed direct signal part for generating suitable output audio signals), (see [0169]-[0170], and [0197]-[0199], also figures 5-6, and 9).
Regarding Claim 2, Eroneh discloses an apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the indirect audio comprises non-directional audio (e.g. audio distribution in different directions), (see [0089] and [0168]).
Regarding Claim 3, Eroneh discloses an apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the indirect audio comprises diffuse audio (see [0168]).
Regarding Claim 4, Eroneh discloses an apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the determined directional distribution information indicates one or more directions associated with the indirect audio (see [0196]).
Regarding Claim 5, Eroneh discloses an apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rendering information comprises a target covariance matrix of the audio signals (see [0195]).
Regarding Claim 6, Eroneh discloses an apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rendering information comprises diffuse sound gains for channels of a multichannel loudspeaker arrangement (see [0001] and [0185]).
Regarding Claim 7, Eroneh discloses an apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to use, at least the associated spatial metadata, to determine direction information for the direct audio (see [0004], [0074] and [0184).
Regarding Claim 8, Eroneh discloses an apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the associated spatial metadata comprises information that enables mixing of audio signals so as to enable rendering of the spatial audio in a selected audio format (see [0094]-[0095]).
Regarding Claim 9, Eroneh discloses an apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the associated spatial metadata comprises, for one or more frequency sub-bands, information indicative of at least one of: a sound direction; or sound directionality (see [0093]-[0094]).
Regarding Claim 10, Eroneh discloses an apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the associated spatial metadata comprises, at least one of: one or more prediction coefficients for one or more frequency sub-bands; or one or more coherence parameters (see [0093]-[0094]).
Regarding Claim 13, Eroneh discloses a method (e.g. using a spatial synthesizer apparatus 111, see figure 5), comprising: obtaining a spatial audio signal comprising one or more audio signals and associated spatial metadata (e.g. inputs to the synthesizer 111 includes the transport audio signal stream 110 and the input ambiance energy distribution parameters 104), (see [0149] and figure 5), wherein the associated spatial metadata is configured to enable rendering of spatial audio from the one or more audio signals (e.g. rendering of prototype audio output signal), (see [0150], figure 5), and wherein the spatial audio comprises direct audio (e.g. direct audio generation), (see [0152]), and indirect audio (e.g. diffuse signal generation), (see [0165], and figure 5), using, at least the associated spatial metadata to determine directional distribution information for the indirect audio (e.g. the diffuse part gain determiner 517 may be configured to selectively distribute the energy unevenly to different directions based on input ambient energy), determining rendering information (e.g. determination of the diffuse part gain) corresponding to the determined directional distribution information (see [0140]-[0142] and [0167]-[0168], also figure 5); and enabling rendering of the spatial audio using the estimated target spatial features, the one or more audio signals, and the associated spatial metadata (e.g. a combiner 521 combines the processed diffuse audio signal part and the processed direct signal part for generating suitable output audio signals), (see [0169]-[0170], and [0197]-[0199], also figures 5-6, and 9).
Regarding Claim 14, Eroneh discloses a method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the indirect audio comprises at least one of: non-directional audio; or diffuse audio (e.g. audio distribution in different directions), (see [0089] and [0168]).
Regarding Claim 16, Eroneh discloses a method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the determined directional distribution information indicates one or more directions associated with the indirect audio (see [0196]).
Regarding Claim 17, Eroneh discloses a method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the rendering information comprises a target covariance matrix of the audio signals (see [0195]).
Regarding Claim 18, Eroneh discloses a method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the rendering information comprises diffuse sound gains for channels of a multichannel loudspeaker arrangement (see [0001] and [0185]).
Regarding Claim 19, Eroneh discloses a method as claimed in claim 13, wherein using at least the associated spatial metadata comprises determining direction information for the direct audio (see [0004], [0074] and [0184).
Regarding Claim 20, Eroneh discloses a method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the associated spatial metadata comprises information that enables mixing of audio signals so as to enable rendering of the spatial audio in a selected audio format (see [0094]-[0095]).
Regarding Claim 21, Eroneh discloses a method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the associated spatial metadata comprises at least one of: for one or more frequency sub-bands, information indicative of at least one of: a sound direction; or sound directionality; or for one or more frequency sub-bands, one or more prediction coefficients (see [0093]-[0094]).
Regarding Claim 22, Eroneh discloses a method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the associated spatial metadata comprises at least one of: one or more prediction coefficients for one or more frequency sub-bands; or one or more coherence parameters (see [0093]-[0094]).
Regarding Claim 23, Eroneh discloses a non-transitory program storage device readable with an apparatus, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable with the apparatus (e.g. apparatus 111 is controlled by a processor through program instruction stored in an associated memory, see [0052]), for performing operations comprising: obtaining a spatial audio signal comprising one or more audio signals and associated spatial metadata (e.g. inputs to the synthesizer 111 includes the transport audio signal stream 110 and the input ambiance energy distribution parameters 104), (see [0149] and figure 5), wherein the associated spatial metadata is configured to enable rendering of spatial audio from the one or more audio signals (e.g. rendering of prototype audio output signal), (see [0150], figure 5), and wherein the spatial audio comprises direct audio (e.g. direct audio generation), (see [0152]), and indirect audio (e.g. diffuse signal generation), (see [0165], and figure 5), using, at least the associated spatial metadata to determine directional distribution information for the indirect audio (e.g. the diffuse part gain determiner 517 may be configured to selectively distribute the energy unevenly to different directions based on input ambient energy), determining rendering information (e.g. determination of the diffuse part gain) corresponding to the determined directional distribution information (see [0140]-[0142] and [0167]-[0168], also figure 5); and enabling rendering of the spatial audio using the estimated target spatial features, the one or more audio signals, and the associated spatial metadata (e.g. a combiner 521 combines the processed diffuse audio signal part and the processed direct signal part for generating suitable output audio signals), (see [0169]-[0170], and [0197]-[0199], also figures 5-6, and 9).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record provided on PTO 892 and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to OYESOLA C OJO whose telephone number is (571)272-0848. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday 8:00am to 4:00pm Central Time.
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/OYESOLA C OJO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2695.
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