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 .
Claim Objections
Claim 10 objected to because of the following informalities: misspelled word “indicating”. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-8, 17-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Thompson U.S. PAP 2017/0366910 A1.
Regarding claim 1 Thompson teaches a method for separating a target audio source from a multi-channel audio input including N audio signals, N>=3 (method for upmixing from a two-channel stereo signal to a multi-channel surround sound, see abstract), the method comprising:
combining the N audio signals into at least two unique signal pairs, each signal pair including two of the N audio signals (mixes the first sub-signal and the second sub-signal together in a linear manner to generate an output channel (box 540), see par. [0057]);
performing pairwise source separation on the at least two signal pairs to generate at least two processed signal pairs, each processed signal pair including source separated versions of the audio signals in the signal pair (This process is repeated in a similar manner for each of the output channels by finding new dematrixing coefficients for each output channel (box 550). Although the dematrixing coefficients typically will be different for each output channel, this will not always be true. Each of the discrete output channels creates an upmixed multi-channel output audio signal for playback through playback devices, see par. [0057]);
and combining the at least two processed signal pairs to form the target audio source having N target audio signals corresponding to the N audio signals (determine how much of the original two channels are mixed into the new output channels, see par. [0011]).
Regarding claim 2 Thompson teaches the method according to claim 1, wherein the at least three audio signals include surround audio channels, multi-track signals, higher order ambisonic signals, object audio signals and/or immersive audio signals (downmixed to a matrix-encoded stereo signal and provided to the system and method, see par. [0017]).
Regarding claim 3 Thompson teaches the method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein:
for each audio signal occurring in only one signal pair of the at least two unique signal pairs, the corresponding target audio signal is equal to the source separated version of the audio signal occurring in only one signal pair, for each audio signal occurring in more than one signal pair, the corresponding target audio signal is equal to a weighted combination of all source separated versions of this audio signal (These dematrixing coefficients are used to weight each of the two input channels and determine how much of each input channel is contained in each output channel., see par. [0039]).
Regarding claim 4 Thompson teaches the method according to claim 3, wherein the weighting of the weighted combination is dynamic in time and/or frequency (phase coefficients for each component vary in time and are based on the phase difference between the input signals, see abstract).
Regarding claim 5 Thompson teaches the method according to claim 3, wherein the weighting of the weighted combination is non-linear (the audio content was originally mixed in two channels and contains a sequence where the audio is slowly panned from the left channel to the right channel using a Sin/Cos panning law, see par. [0012]).
Regarding claim 6 Thompson teaches the method according to claim 1, further comprising mixing the N target audio signals with the N audio signals to form N output audio signals (each output channel is generated as different linear combinations of the right input channel and the left input channel weighted by their corresponding dematrixing coefficients, see par. [0108]).
Regarding claim 7 Thompson teaches the method according to claim 1, wherein the multi-channel input includes M>N audio signals, and further comprising mixing the N target audio signals with the M audio signals to form M output audio signals (Once all of the discrete output channels have been generated, the output channel generator 350 outputs an upmixed multi-channel output audio signal 360, see par. [0055]).
Regarding claim 8 Thompson teaches the method according to claim 6, wherein the mixing is done with a mixing ratio that is dynamic in time and/or frequency phase coefficients for each component vary in time and are based on the phase difference between the input signals, see abstract).
Regarding claim 17 Thompson teaches a system for separating a target audio source from a multi-channel audio input including N audio signals, N>=3 (constant-power pairwise panning upmixing system and method for upmixing from a two-channel stereo signal to a multi-channel surround sound, see abstract), the system comprising:
a pair forming module (1) configured to combine the N audio signals into at least two unique signal pairs, each signal pair including two of the N audio signals (mixes the first sub-signal and the second sub-signal together in a linear manner to generate an output channel (box 540), see par. [0057]);
a processing module (2) configured to perform pairwise source separation on the at least two signal pairs to generate at least two processed signal pairs, each processed signal pair including source separated versions of the audio signals in the signal pair (This process is repeated in a similar manner for each of the output channels by finding new dematrixing coefficients for each output channel (box 550). Although the dematrixing coefficients typically will be different for each output channel, this will not always be true. Each of the discrete output channels creates an upmixed multi-channel output audio signal for playback through playback devices, see par. [0057]);
and a combination module (3) configured to combine the at least two processed signal pairs to form the target audio source having N target audio signals corresponding to the N audio signals(determine how much of the original two channels are mixed into the new output channels, see par. [0011]).
Regarding claim 18 Thompson teaches the system according to claim 17, wherein the at least three audio signals include surround audio channels, multi-track signals, higher order ambisonic signals, object audio signals and/or immersive audio signals (downmixed to a matrix-encoded stereo signal and provided to the system and method, see par. [0017]).
Regarding claim 19 Thomson teaches the system according to claim 17, wherein: for each audio signal occurring in only one signal pair of the at least two unique signal pairs, the corresponding target audio signal is equal to the source separated version of the audio signal occurring in only one signal pair, for each audio signal occurring in more than one signal pair of the at least two unique signal pairs, the corresponding target audio signal is equal to a weighted combination of all source separated versions of the audio signal occurring in more than one signal pair (These dematrixing coefficients are used to weight each of the two input channels and determine how much of each input channel is contained in each output channel., see par. [0039]).
Regarding claim 20 Thompson teaches the system according to claim 17, further comprising a mixing module (4) configured to mix the N target audio signals with the N audio signals to form N output audio signals (each output channel is generated as different linear combinations of the right input channel and the left input channel weighted by their corresponding dematrixing coefficients, see par. [0108])..
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 9-16 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.
Erten ‘073 teaches Audio application based on the signal separation and recovery procedures, see figure 10.
Baque ‘222 teaches method for processing sound data for separating N sound sources of a multichannel sound signal sensed in a real medium. The method includes: separating sources to the sensed multichannel signal and obtaining a separation matrix and a set of M sound components, with M≥N.
Shim ‘216 teaches the number (that is, the number of channels) of sound information acquired by a sound receiving apparatus is three or more, the difference signal may be acquired from pairs composed of arbitrary combinations of the sound information. The pairs of the sound information may be an arbitrarily selected pair or a plurality of arbitrarily selected pairs.
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/MICHAEL ORTIZ-SANCHEZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2656
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