DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Status of Application
This communication is responsive to the applicant's preliminary amendment filed 08/01/2024.
Claims 1-9 are pending.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Inanaga et al (US-5,181,248, hereinafter, Inanaga).
Regarding claim 1, Inanaga discloses a system (see Fig. 1) for processing a stereo acoustic signal (left and right signal, col. 5, lines 45-49) in such a way that a listener (M) wearing an acoustic headphone (10) perceives a sound as coming from a left virtual speaker disposed at the left of the listener and from a right virtual speaker disposed at the right of the listener (col. 5, line 56-col. 6, line 6); said system comprising: a first input (left channel signal SL) and a second input (second channel signal SR) suitable for being connected to a sound source (22) capable of sending a stereo electroacoustic signal comprising a first acoustic signal suitable for being sent to the first input, and a second acoustic signal suitable for being sent to the second input (col. 5, lines 45-55), a first output (EL) and a second output (ER) suitable for being connected to an acoustic headphone (10) comprising a left earpiece (2L) and a right earpiece (2R), a first summing block (25L) having an input connected to the first input and an output connected to the first output, a second summing block (25R) having an input connected to the second input and an output connected to the second output,
a first delay block (27) connected to the first input (SL) and to the second summing block (25R), in such a way to impart a first delay time to the first acoustic signal, so as to obtain a first delayed acoustic signal in output from the first delay block (27), said first delayed acoustic signal being summed to the second acoustic signal sent to the second input in the second summing block (25R); and
a second delay block (26) connected to the second input (SR) and to the first summing block (25L), in such a way to impart a second delay time to the second acoustic signal, so as to obtain a second delayed acoustic signal in output from the second delayed block (26), said second delayed acoustic signal being summed to the first acoustic signal sent to the first input in the first summing block (25L) characterized in that
said first delay block (27) is connected to the first input to impart a first delay time (Ƭ) to the first acoustic signal sent to the first input and is suitably configured to generate a first delay time (Ƭ) independent from the signal frequency, the first delay time (Ƭ) remaining constant as to the frequency of the signal varies and being adjustable according to a distance between the ears of the listener (Fig. 3) and a position of said left virtual speaker (col. 5, line 56-col. 6, line 6) with respect to the listener (col. 2, line 46-64); and
said second delay block (26) is connected to the second input to impart a second delay time to the second acoustic signal sent to the second input and is suitably configured to generate a second delay time independent from the signal frequency and adjustable according to a distance between the ears of the listener (Fig. 3) and a position of said right virtual speaker (col. 5, line 56-col. 6, line 6) with respect to the listener (col. 2, line 46-64).
Regarding claim 2, Inanaga discloses the system of claim 1, wherein the position of said left virtual speaker with respect to the listener is defined by a first inclination angle of said left virtual speaker with respect to the listener; and the position of said right virtual speaker with respect to the listener is defined by a second inclination angle of said right virtual speaker with respect to a listener; wherein the listener has a left ear and a right ear, considering a segment joining the left ear to the right ear; the segment having a center, a first straight line connects a center of the left virtual speaker to the center of the segment; a second straight line connects a center of the right virtual speaker to the center of the segment, a median straight line passes through the center of the segment and is orthogonal to the segment; wherein said first angle between the median straight line and the first straight line defines an inclination of the left virtual speaker and said second angle between the median straight line and the second straight line defines an inclination of the right virtual speaker (see Figs. 3 and 4, and col. 5, line 56 – col. 6, line 48).
Regarding claim 3, Inanaga discloses the claimed delay time formula for both the first delay time and the second delay time calculation is discussed in Fig. 3 and col. 4, line 65-col 5, line 44 and can be obtained as discussed.
Regarding claims 4, 5, and 7, Inanaga discloses the system according to claim 1, comprising a first low-pass filter and a second low-pass filter disposed at the outputs of the first delay block and of the second delay block, respectively; said first low-pass filter and second low-pass filter being configured to cut off the high frequencies of the first delayed acoustic signal and of the second delayed acoustic signal, respectively; and said first low-pass filter and second low-pass filter being configured to cut off the high frequencies of the first delayed acoustic signal and of the second delayed acoustic signal, respectively; and comprising a first active filter disposed at the output of the first summing block and a second active filter disposed at the output of the second summing block; wherein the first active filter acts on the first acoustic signal and on the second delayed acoustic signal, and the second active filter acts on the second acoustic signal and on the first delayed acoustic signal; wherein each active filter is configured to enhance the sound at low frequencies (see Figs. 1 and 5, and col. 7, line 6 – col. 8, line 24, wherein a LPF is used for each of the left hand channel and right hand channel and can be considered as an active filter).
Regarding claim 6, Inanaga discloses the system according to claim 1, comprising a first attenuator and a second attenuator disposed at the outputs of the first delay block and of the second delay block, respectively; said first attenuator and second attenuator being configured to attenuate the first delayed acoustic signal and the second delayed acoustic signal, respectively, regardless of the frequency (see Fig. 1, processing circuit 21L and 21R, and col. 7, lines 5-24).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8-9 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Haramoto et al, Carver, Cooper et al, Scofield et al, Yamada et al, Bai et al, Nishio et al, and Tracey et al disclose various audio signal processing circuits for processing left and right stereo acoustic signal related to HRTF and crosstalk cancellation to enhance stereophonic audio outputs.
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/XU MEI/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2695 02/21/2026