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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement filed 8/12/25 fails to comply with 37 CFR 1.98(a)(2), which requires a legible copy of each cited foreign patent document; each non-patent literature publication or that portion which caused it to be listed; and all other information or that portion which caused it to be listed. It has been placed in the application file, but the following information referred to therein has not been considered:
JP 2018510532
JP 2015508487
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, 4, 5, 8, 11, 12, 15, 17-24, 28 and 29 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lando (US 20170374484).
Regarding claim 1, Lando teaches a method comprising:
receiving, with at least one processor of an audio system, object-based audio (Objecti, fig 11(and metadata (XYZi(t), [0070], fig 11); rendering, with the at least one processor, the object-based audio into a multichannel audio presentation for a first loudspeaker layout based on the metadata (speaker 1-N, fig 11);
generating, with at least one processor, a first mix by applying a first mapping of the multichannel audio presentation to a second loudspeaker layout associated with a vehicle (appropriate speakers in a car, [0078]);
generating, with the at least one processor, first loudspeaker signals based on the first mix for playback through loudspeakers in the second loudspeaker layout (Spkr1, etc, fig 11);
receiving, with the at least one processor, input (input bitstream 602, fig 7);
generating, with the at least one processor, a second mix different from the first mix by applying a second mapping of the multichannel audio presentation to the second loudspeaker layout associated with the vehicle, the second mapping based on the input; and generating, with the at least one processor, second loudspeaker signals based on the second mix for playback through the loudspeakers in the second loudspeaker layout (alternative panning locations at the XYZ information changes in a dynamic stream, fig 11; moving objects, [0035]).
Regarding claim 4, Lando teaches the method of any of claim 1, wherein the input includes a fader position of a fader control of the audio system (panner element, fig 11).
Regarding claim 5, Lando teaches the method of any of claim 1, wherein the input includes a fader mode that indicates a preset modification to the multichannel audio presentation (panning law, [0003]).
Regarding claim 8, Lando teaches the method of any of claim 1, wherein the second mix applies a gain to at least one channel of the multichannel audio presentation, and wherein the gain is included in a set of gains that maps channels in the multichannel audio presentation to the loudspeakers in the second loudspeaker layout (panning gains are determined as a function of the speaker locations, [0064]).
Regarding claim 11, Lando teaches the method of any of claim 1, wherein the second loudspeaker layout includes left/right front loudspeakers and left/right back loudspeakers, and the multichannel audio presentation includes left/right/center loudspeakers, left/right middle loudspeakers, and left/right back loudspeakers (fig 1; standard floor standing speaker or 5.1 system, [0007]).
Regarding claim 12, Lando teaches the method of any of claim 1, wherein the second loudspeaker layout further includes at least one of: left/right front height loudspeakers and left/right back height loudspeakers (fig 1).
Regarding claim 15, Lando teaches the method of any of claim 1, wherein the number of channels in the multichannel audio presentation is less than the number of loudspeakers in the second loudspeaker layout (sound bar less than sound bar with satellites, fig 7 and 8).
Regarding claim 17, Lando teaches the method of any of claim 1, wherein the multichannel audio presentation includes spatial positions or directions for the loudspeakers in a horizontal plane and a height plane (fig 1).
Regarding claim 18, Lando teaches the method of any of claim 1, wherein the second mix applies delay or filtering to the second loudspeaker signals (gain, [0064]).
Regarding claim 19, Lando teaches the method of any of claim 1, wherein determining a second mix based on the multichannel audio presentation and the input further comprises transitioning from a first spatialization mode to a second spatialization mode, the transitioning including re-assigning portions of the first loudspeaker signals to the second loudspeaker signals (switching between soundbar and surround configuration, fig 10).
Regarding claim 20, Lando teaches the method of any of claim 19, wherein the re-assigning is based in part on a distance from a listener or listening position associated with the listener, and at least one loudspeaker associated with the second speaker layout (listening position and panning position, [0070-0071])).
Regarding claim 21, Lando teaches the method of any of claim 19, wherein the re-assigning moves portions of the first loudspeaker signals from at least one loudspeaker in the second speaker layout at a first distance from the listener or the listener position to at least one other loudspeaker in the second speaker layout, at a second and greater distance from the listener or the listener position (listening position and panning position, [0070-0071] ).
Regarding claim 22, Lando teaches the method of any of claim 19, wherein reassigning is performed in accordance with a speaker performance characteristic of at least one loudspeaker in the second speaker layout (soundbar compared to surround configuration, [0007]).
Regarding claim 23, Lando teaches the method of any of claim 19, wherein reassigning includes reassigning portions of the first loudspeaker signals from a center channel associated with the first speaker layout to two or more second loudspeaker signals for non-center channel loudspeaker channels associated with the second speaker layout (bookshelf/floor standing embodiment, [0007]).
Regarding claim 24, Lando teaches the method of any of claim 19, wherein re-assigning includes attenuating one or more portions of the second loudspeaker signals (gain, [0064]).
Claims 28 and 29 are each substantially similar to claim 1 and are rejected for the same reasons
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.
Claim(s) 6 and 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lando and Scheler (US 20180358031).
Regarding claim 6, Lando teaches the method of any of claim 1.
Although Lando does not teach wherein the input includes relates to occupancy data indicating a number of occupants in the vehicle and their seating locations in the interior of the vehicle, Scheler teaches current seat occupancy for weighting audio signals (Scheler, [0060]) and it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to incorporate into Lando since doing so is the use of a known technique to improve a similar system in the same way.
Regarding claim 7, Lando teaches the method of any of claim 1.
Although Lando does not explicitly teach the feature wherein the vehicle includes an interior divided into two or more zones and the second mix is determined based at least in part on the two or more zones, Scheler teaches using seat occupancy for weighting audio signals (Scheler, [0060]) and each seating position constitutes a zone and it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to incorporate into Lando since doing so is the use of a known technique to improve a similar system in the same way.
Claim(s) 26 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lando
Regarding claim 26, Lando teaches the method of any of claim 19.
Although Lando does not explicitly teach wherein re-assigning includes high pass filtering at least one loudspeaker signal of the second loudspeaker signals corresponding to one or more height channels of the multichannel audio presentation, it would have been obvious to use a smaller speaker for a height speaker and perform bass management high pass filtering to set the speaker as a “small” speaker (i.e. one that doesn’t handle much audio below about100 Hz) since doing so is well-known and routine in the art and involves predictability and routine skill.
Conclusion
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/KILE O BLAIR/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2691
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