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 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.
Claims 1,2,4-11, and 13-22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over “On the Use of Virtual Sensing for the Real-time Detection and Active Control of a Scattered Acoustic Field” (herein after Virtual Sensing).
With respect to claim 1 Virtual sensing discloses a regularization parameter determining system for determining a regularization parameter for use in operation of n active acoustic control system (abstract), the active acoustic control system including:
A first sensor arrangement (see firgue 3 ) arranged to sense the total acoustic pressure of the acoustic signal, the active control system further including
A processor (see page 7, there is disclosed a controller which one of ordinary skill would recognize to be an automated system including a processor given the amount of data provided by the array of sensors. It is well known in the art to use a computer for such calculations in the interest of time and accuracy) configured to apply a first filter to the total acoustic pressure and provide a filtered output signal; and
Estimate the scattered acoustic pressure component based on the filtered output signal from the first filter (utilizing the taught equations);
The active acoustic control system further including a control source arrangement operable to control the scattered acoustic pressure component based on the estimation of the processor and the regularization parameter, the regularization parameter determination system comprising:
A processor (see equations) configured to determine the regularization parameter based on a level of control of the scattered acoustic pressure component of the acoustic signal when the acoustic signal is controlled using the control source arrangement of the active acoustic control system using a set of test regularization parameters.
One of ordinary skill in the art before the time of the effective filing based upon the teachings of Virtual sensing would have found it obvious apply the teachings to the system for determining the parameters and controlling the active noise so as to achieve the desired noise control. Such is implied n the abstract and would have been understood to one of skill.
With respect to claim 2 Virtual sensing as modified further discloses wherein the processor is configured to determine the regularization pttern based on an optimization of the relationship hebteeen:
The level of control of the scattered acoustic pressure component of the acoustic signal when the acoustic signal controlled using the control source arrangement of the active acoustic control system using her set of test regularization parameters and a condition of the active acoustic control system or the object (again such a utilization of the signals is implicit in the abstract and would have been understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to be an obvious use thereof). As it regards the optimization per se, such would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill before the time of the effective filing as it has been held that discovering an optimum value of a result effective variable involves only routine skill in the art. In re Boesch, 617 F.2d 272, 205 USPQ 215 (CCPA 1980).
With respect to claim 4 Virtual sensing as modified further discloses wherein the set of test regularization parameters comprises a range of test regularization parameters (see figure 4).
With respect to claim 5 as it regards the system be operable according to the claimed relationship, the system itself is so structured to be operable in accordance with a wide range of relationships, the selection thereof would have been an obvious matter to one of ordinary skill in order to arrive at the desired results.
With respect to claim 6 Virtual Sensing further discloses wherein the regularization parameter is frequency independent (as can be seen form the figures the same parameters are used over a range of frequency and thus they themselves are frequency independent).
With respect to claim 7 Virtual sensing further discloses (see figure 4) wherein the value of the regularization parameter is determined to correspond to a peak level of control of the scattered acoustic pressure component of the acoustic signal across a frequency range.
With respect to claim 8 Virtual sensing further discloses (figure 4) wherein the regularization parameter is frequency dependent (that is to say that there is a range of frequencies that are targeted broadly 250-775 Hz). The selection of the parameter based upon the interactions which serve to provide the optimal response would have been an obvious matter which is arrived at through routine testing.
With respect to claim 9 Virtual sensing as modified further discloses wherein a set of regularization parameter values are determined, each value of the set of regularization parameters being determined to correspond to a peak level of control of the scattered acoustic pressure component of the acoustic signal across at least a subrange of a frequency range (see again figure 4).
With respect to claim 10 Virtual sensing further discloses an active acoustic control system (abstract) comprising:
A first sensor arrangement (see figure 3) arranged to sense an acoustic signal in the region of an object, the acoustic signal having a scattered acoustic pressure component and a total acoustic pressure, the first sensor arrangement being arranged to sense the total acoustic pressure of the acoustic signal;
A processor configured to apply a first filter (see controller) to filter the total acoustic pressure and provide a filtered output signal; and estimate the scattered acoustic pressure component based on the filtered output signal from the first filter (see figure 6); an d
A control source arrangement operable to control the scattered acoustic pressure component based on the estimation of the processor and a regularization parameter determined based on a level of control of the scattered acoustic pressure component of the acoustic signal when controlled using the control source arrangement of the active acoustic control system using a set of test regularization parameters (see again figures 3-7).
With respect to claim 11 Virtual sensing further discloses a vehicle or structure comprising the regularization parameter determination system according to claim 1 (see figure 2, as drafted the claim is broad enough to cover the testing chamber).
With respect to claim 13 Virtual sensing further discloses a method of active acoustic control (see abstract) comprising:
Sensing the total acoustic pressure of an acoustic signal in the region of an object, the acoustic signal having a scattered acoustic pressure component and a total acoustic pressure (see figures 1 and 3);
Applying a first filter to filter the total acoustic pressure (see equations);
Providing a filtered output signal;
Estimating the scattered acoustic pressure component based on the filtered output signal from the first filter;
Determining a regularization parameter based on a level of control of the scattered acoustic pressure component of the acoustic signal when controlled using the control source arrangement of the active acoustic control system using a set of test regularization parameters and
Controlling the scattered acoustic pressure component based on the estimation of the processor and the regularization parameter (see figures 4-7).
With respect to claim 14 Virtual sensing further discloses determining the regularization parameter based on an optimization of a relationship between:
The level of control of the scattered acoustic pressure component of the acoustic signal when the acoustic signal controlled using the control source arrangement of the active acoustic control system using the set of test regularization parameters; and a condition of the active acoustic control system or the object (as can be seen from the specification of virtual sensing the system is controller to optimize, figures 4-7 and taking the variable of the condition of the system and the object (see figure 1) into account would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill as the testing would so require the object to be present).
With respect to claims 15 and 16 Virtual sensing further discloses based on a plurality of relationships between a level of attenuation and a value of the regularization parameter each relationship for being one of a plurality of conditions of the object , selecting a value of regularization parameter corresponding to a peak level of attenuation in an average of the relationship (such averaging would have been an obvious matter to provide a coverage for the broadest set of conditions as would be readily understood by one of skill in the art).
With respect to claim 17 Virtual sensing further discloses wherein the processor is configured to determine the regularization parameter based on a relationship between the level of control of the scattered acoustic pressure component of the acoustic signal when controlled using the control source arrangement of the active acoustic control system using a set of test regularization parameters; and a value of regularization parameter.
With respect to claim 18 Virtual Sensing further discloses wherein the regularization parameter is frequency independent (as can be seen form the figures the same parameters are used over a range of frequency and thus they themselves are frequency independent).
With respect to claim 19 Virtual sensing further discloses (see figure 4) wherein the value of the regularization parameter is determined to correspond to a peak level of control of the scattered acoustic pressure component of the acoustic signal across a frequency range.
With respect to claim 20 Virtual sensing further discloses (figure 4) wherein the regularization parameter is frequency dependent (that is to say that there is a range of frequencies that are targeted broadly 250-775 Hz). The selection of the parameter based upon the interactions which serve to provide the optimal response would have been an obvious matter which is arrived at through routine testing.
With respect to claim 21 Virtual sensing as modified further discloses wherein a set of regularization parameter values are determined, each value of the set of regularization parameters being determined to correspond to a peak level of control of the scattered acoustic pressure component of the acoustic signal across at least a subrange of a frequency range (see again figure 4).
With respect to claim 22 Virtual sensing further discloses a vehicle or structure comprising the regularization parameter determination system according to claim 10 (see figure 2, as drafted the claim is broad enough to cover the testing chamber).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Wang (US20260094597) discloses an active noise cancellation system for in a vehicle; Yoo (US20250316257) discloses an apparatus and method for active noise cancelling within a vehicle; Batson (US20220210539) discloses binaural hearing device with monoaural ambient mode including activ3e noise control; Laaksonen (US20220164160) discloses controlling an audio output; Wang (US20200320971) discloses a noise cancelling means for electronic device; Ou (US20150092951) discloses a headphone with active noise control; and Butler (US8836792) disclose an active cloaking for transducers.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FORREST M PHILLIPS whose telephone number is (571)272-9020. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday from 9:00-5:00.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Dedei Hammond can be reached at (571) 272-3985. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/FORREST M PHILLIPS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
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