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 § 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, 3 and 14-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Seo et al. (US 20070203598 A1; hereafter Seo).
Regarding claims 1 and 3, Seo discloses a method of rendering audio in an audio scene ([0042]), the method comprising:
receiving a voxel-based audio scene representation of the audio scene (“3D audio scene with extended spatiality of sound source…” in abstract, e.g.), the
audio scene representation including an indication of extent voxels (“sourceDimensions” in Fig. 3) representing a 3D extent together with a plurality of audio source signals (3 shown in Fig. 2, e.g.) for audio sources associated with the 3D extent;
obtaining coordinates of an intersection point (“location” in Fig. 3) inside the 3D
extent;
determining one or more line-segments (the length of Δx, Δy, Δz in respective x, y and z directions; see Fig. 1B or 1D, e.g.) running through the intersection point (from the location as defined) and extending along respective coordinate directions of the audio scene representation, wherein end points (as defined by x+Δx, y+Δy, z+Δz) each line segment are determined based on coordinates of one or more of the extent voxels (as defined by “sourceDimensions” in Fig. 3); and
allocating audio sources (e.g., 3 sources as defined in Fig. 2 or point sources) among the plurality of audio sources to audio source locations (defined by “location” in Fig. 3) within the audio scene based on the one or more line-segments (the length of Δx, Δy, Δz in respective x, y and z directions).
Regarding claims 15 and 16, Seo shows a non-transitory program or a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium ([0028]).
Most of limitations in claim 14 correspond to those in claim 1 discussed above. Seo further shows one or more processor ([0026], [0028]).
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Seo
Regarding claim 2, Seo fails to show one of a geometric center of the 3D extent and the center of gravity of the 3D extent. However, the claimed feature is a specific type of audio source, such as an audio object represented by a sphere. One skilled in the art would have expected that Seo could be utilized for rendering audio object with volume, such as a spherical object, without generating any expected result. Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Seo by defining the source dimension of any sound object with a realistic volume, such as one with a symmetrical shape, because it is considered as a matter of design preference for rendering a specific sound object.
Claim(s) 4-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Seo in view of Thall et al. (US 20200296533 A1; hereafter Thall).
Regarding claim 12, Seo fails to explicitly show obtaining coordinates of a listener location. However, Seo teaches that the audio scene, together with the corresponding video, is intended for an user by utilizing the vector between the listener and the location of the sound source ([0008], [0038]). Thall is cited here to show, for rendering an audio object, with extended size ([0017], e.g.), facing the user, the user’s position and orientation in 3D environment are obtained ([0033], [0043], 502 in Fig. 5) in addition to information defining the object’s extension in 3D space ([0032]).
Thus, it would have been obvious to modify Seo in view of Thall by obtaining the user’s location in order to be able to render the audio object, relative to the location of the user, in a realistic fashion.
Regarding claim 13, Seo fails to show occlusion and diffraction modeling. As stated in Seo, the goal is improving the sensor the real of 3D audio scene ([0010]). Seo teaches a general sound object in a general sound scene. One skilled in the art would have expected that in a real environment, a sound source sometimes would be blocked and/or diffracted. Thall teaches such situation in Fig. 2 as the sound object with extended shape (a river, [0028], e.g.) is blocked by a house (15) when the user facing the object ([0026]). While the user moves relative to the sound object, the rendered sound would be adjusted accordingly based on the occlusion and diffraction model ([0026], [0030], [0061]). Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Seo in view of Thall by simulating the sound object from the user’s perspective, including as occluded by another object and having diffraction by the other object, in order be able to render the audio object, relative to the location of the user, in a realistic fashion, which could include an obstacle located in front of the user in an virtual environment.
Regarding claim 4, following the discussion with expect to claim 13 above, Thall teaches that the audio scene representation indicates occluder voxels (e.g., the location of the house 215 relative to the user as shown in Fig. 2) and the sound object (the sound of river) would be rendered to coordinate within voxels other than the occlude voxels ([0033]. [0051]3).
Regarding claim 5, the combination of Seo of Thall as discussed above meets the claimed features. The claimed unfilled voxels reads on the representation of the object that occludes the user (house, e.g.). The line segments reads on the sound ray from the sound object (river, e.g.) to reach the user. The location of the line segment (location of the river) is determined by the extension (the shape of the river as defined, [0032]). The claimed “line segments that are closest to the end points of the respective line segments” reads on sound ray of the end point of the sound object.
Regarding claim 6, the combination of Seo of Thall as discussed above meets the claimed features. The claimed “one or more possible target locations” read the possible locations of the sound ray from the object (river 210 has area 231 and area 232 as shown in Fig. 2, [0033]).
Regarding claims 7 and 8, the combination of Seo of Thall as discussed above meets the claimed features. The claimed unfilled voxels reads on the sound occluding object for obstructing the user (house 215, e.g.). The line segments reads on the sound ray from the sound object (river, e.g.) to reach the user. The location of the line segment (location of the river) is determined by the extension (the shape of the river as defined, [0032]). The claimed “line segments that are closest to the end points of the respective line segments” reads on sound ray of the end point of the sound object.
Regarding claim 9, the combination of Seo and Thall meets the claimed feature. The number of point source at each dimension is determined by the density as taught in Seo ([0050]). The distance between each point source reads on the predetermined minimum distance. The point sources are selected depend on whether they would be occluded by the object (e.g., house) relative to the user.
Regarding claim 10, Seo fails to show a mapping. Thall teaches a graphic processing unit that provides perspective of the entire virtual scene for the user ([0018]). Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Seo in view of Thall by providing a graphic representation of the virtual scene for the user in order to help the user for organizing the virtual object relative to the user.
Regarding claim 11, the claimed assigning gains indirectly reads on the parameter that defines the distance between the user and the object ([0032]).
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Vivian Chin can be reached at 571-272-7848. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/PING LEE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2695
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