CTNF 18/871,522 CTNF 79868 DETAILED ACTION Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia 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 § 102 07-07-aia AIA 07-07 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 – 07-12-aia AIA (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. 07-15-03-aia AIA Claim(s) 1-16,26-29 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Souviraa-Labastie et al (US 20210289297 A1) . As per claim 1, Souviraa-Labastie discloses an apparatus for rendering an audio scene to be consumed by a listener in a physical space, the apparatus comprising at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed with the at least one processor (the system of Souvirra-Labastie, Fig. 1, requires processor, software and memory to implement the following functions), cause the apparatus to: obtain at least one information to render the audio scene with at least one audio signal according to the at least one information (para 5, the audio signal before they are provisioned per para 5, per the augmented reality implementation in para 4); obtain play-area information, the play-area information comprising information about a region within the physical space and within which the listener is allowed to physically move within, the play-area information comprising at least one of: geometry; position; orientation; [[and]] or coordinate system (para. 5 the user’s position and orientation, which are also based on and required obtaining information of a common coordinate system which defines a geometry); generate an audio rendering using the at least one audio signal in accordance with the play-area information (para. 5); and obtain a rendering control parameter based on the play-area information, wherein the rendering control parameter is configured to update the audio rendering (para. 5: to change parameters of the rendering such that this will adapt to movement and changes in the user's position). As per claims 2,10, t he apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to determine a play-area move, wherein the play-area move defines a translation operation of the listener and play-area together within the audio scene (when the user moves as per para 5, in the augmented reality implementation per para 4, the movement defines translation of the user position and also of the visual play area which reacts according to the user movement, and also the audio which is adapted and rendered based on the position and orientation of the user). As per claims 3,11, t he apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to generate at least one output audio signal with audio rendering using at least one audio signal, the audio rendering based on the rendering control parameter (the audio is rendered based on the user position or orientation). As per claims 4,12,26, t he apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed with the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus is further configured to obtain a listener position (per the listener position and orientation cited above). As per claims 5,13, t he apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to obtain information defining a user accessible region (the viewable region in the AR environment as presented to the listener), the user accessible region indicating which part of the audio scene the listener is able to experience(the view of the AR environment that the user is currently looking at determines which particular part of the audio scene the user experiences because the scene adapts to the user’s movement and orientation). As per c laims 6,14, t he apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the user accessible region defines an intersection of the user accessible region and the region within the physical space and within which the listener is allowed to physically move within as defined within the play-area information (the user’s movement and orientation in an AR environment creates an intersection of the real world and virtual accessible audio and video where the user’s movement is tracked per the above rejections). As per claim 7,15, t he apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein instructions, when executed with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to update the audio rendering (the parameters are updated over time as the user moves), and wherein the instructions, when executed with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least one of: obtain at least one audio rendering modification parameter with respect to an acoustic element within the user accessible region; obtain a rendering control parameter with respect to an acoustic element within the user accessible region relative to a further acoustic element outside of the user accessible region; or obtain a rendering control parameter with respect to an acoustic element outside the user accessible region. (augmented reality comprises virtual elements implemented relative to detected real world objects, where the user’s view/head orientation determines a current accessible region, which can comprise video and audio elements per para 4 and 5)(further noting the virtual and real scenes per para 4, when the user; changes orientation or movement, will change the accessible viewed region, but not remove other audio that may be in the environment, noting the user can receive audio from anywhere in the scene regardless of where the particular orientation/head view of the user is focused on) (additionally, para 98, the external audio processing). As per c laims 8,16, t he apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the instructions, when executed with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to update the audio rendering, and wherein the instructions, when executed with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least one of: obtain a rendering control parameter for lowering a direct-sound-to-reverberation ratio for an acoustic element outside the user accessible region in order to make them less directionally prominent; obtain a rendering control parameter for providing a higher direct to reverberation energy ratio; obtain a rendering control parameter for providing an increased distance attenuation; [[and]]or obtain a rendering control parameter for providing an audio sources toggle based on a proximity threshold to the user accessible region. (the audio sources will attenuate relative to the user as the user moves away from a source and the rendering adapts the parameters per para 4,5, which will function to increase or decrease attenuation, and also relative direct audio signaling because the audio is rendered based on the user movement and orientation, which imply a change of distance between the listener and an audio source ) (additionally, per para 112, and the ILD that is adapted based on the distance parameter). As per claim 9, a method for rendering an audio scene to be consumed by a listener in a physical space, the method comprising: obtaining at least one information to render the audio scene with at least one audio signal according to the at least one information; obtaining play-area information, the play-area information comprising information about a region within the physical space and within which the listener is allowed to physically move within, the play-area information comprising at least one of: geometry; position; orientation;[[and]] or coordinate system; generating an audio rendering using the at least one audio signal in accordance with the play- area information; and obtaining a rendering control parameter based on the play-area information, wherein the rendering control parameter is configured to update the audio rendering. (per the claim 1 rejection). As per claim 27, th e apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed with the at least one processor, obtain the at least one information and the at least one audio signal from a bitstream, and wherein the metadata comprises the at least one information (fig. 1, the parameters per para 5 as by the rendering portion of the VR device 103, and/or any of the metadata transmitted along with the audio and video from server 101 as received by 103). As per claim 28, t he method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the obtaining the rendering control parameter based on the play-area information comprises obtaining the rendering control parameter based on the listener position (para 4 and 5) (also per para 112). As per claim 29, t he method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the at least one information and the at least one audio signal are obtained from a bitstream, and wherein the metadata comprises the at least one information (fig. 1, the parameters per para 5 as by the rendering portion of the VR device 103, and/or any of the metadata transmitted along with the audio and video from server 101 as received by 103) (also noting para 138: in response to metadata of the audio scene data. For example, the received data may e.g. have dedicated metadata indicating whether individual audio components have real-world counterparts or not. For example, for each audio component in the received audio data, there may be included a single flag indicating whether it reflects a local real-world audio source or not. If so, the apparatus may proceed to compensate the audio component prior to rendering as described above). Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALEXANDER KRZYSTAN whose telephone number is 571-272-7498, and whose email address is alexander.krzystan@uspto.gov The examiner can usually be reached on m-f 7:30-4:00 est. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone or email are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Fan Tsang can be reached on (571) 272-7547. The fax phone numbers for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned are 571-273-8300 for regular communications and 571-273-8300 for After Final communications. /ALEXANDER KRZYSTAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2653 Examiner Alexander Krzystan May 26, 2026 Application/Control Number: 18/871,522 Page 2 Art Unit: 2694 Application/Control Number: 18/871,522 Page 3 Art Unit: 2694 Application/Control Number: 18/871,522 Page 4 Art Unit: 2694 Application/Control Number: 18/871,522 Page 5 Art Unit: 2694 Application/Control Number: 18/871,522 Page 6 Art Unit: 2694
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