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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to because figure 2 contains a typographical error; it should probably say “wet signal.” Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Objections
Claim 5 is objected to because of the following informalities: The claim recites “an spectral flatness measure” in lines 1-2 of the claim. It should probably say “a spectral flatness measure.” Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
4. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
5. Claims 3 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
6. Claim 3 recites “wherein, to acquire the reverb send gain, the reverberation gain determiner is configured to determine a reverb send gain as the reverberation gain information” in lines 2-3 of the claim. There is insufficient antecedent basis for the limitation “the reverb send gain” in line 2 of the claim. In addition, it is unclear if the limitations “the reverb send gain” in line 2 and “a reverb send gain” in line 3 are referring to the same thing. Appropriate correction or clarification is required.
7. Claim 8 recites “implements a smoothing of the sub-band signal” in lines 15-16 of the claim. There is insufficient antecedent basis for the limitation “the sub-band signal” in the claim. Appropriate correction or clarification is required.
Allowable Subject Matter
8. Claims 1-2, 4-7 and 9-15 are allowed.
9. Claims 3 and 8 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
10. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Claims 1 and 14 recite an apparatus and corresponding method for processing an audio input signal comprising one or more audio channels to acquire an audio output signal, wherein the apparatus comprises: a reverberation gain determiner configured to determine reverberation gain information depending on the audio input signal, and a signal processor configured to acquire the audio output signal depending on the reverberation gain information by adding artificial reverberation to the audio input signal or to a preprocessed audio signal, which depends on the audio input signal. The apparatus and method further comprise the reverberation gain determiner as being configured to determine the reverberation gain information depending on an estimate of a perceived intensity of reverberation in the audio input signal, and the reverberation gain determiner is further configured to determine the reverberation gain information by employing a model that returns the estimate of the perceived intensity of reverberation in the audio input signal on receiving information on one or more features of the audio input signal.
The closest prior art, cited by Applicant and Examiner, disclose various devices and methods for applying an artificial reverberation to an input signal or a processed version of the input signal, as well as the use of models for determining or predicting a reverberation duration (Ye pg. 5, ¶ 0086), a reverberation power of a space (Stylianou pg. 4, ¶ 0107), or a direct-to-reverberant ratio of a sound signal (Giurda pg. 2, ¶ 0038; pg. 6, ¶ 0096). The prior art however does not disclose or suggest, either alone or in combination, the apparatus and corresponding method for processing an audio input signal comprising one or more audio channels as recited in the claims, including the reverberation gain determiner configured to determine reverberation gain information depending on the audio input signal and depending on an estimate of a perceived intensity of reverberation in the audio input signal, and wherein the reverberation gain determiner is further configured to determine the reverberation gain information by employing a model that returns the estimate of the perceived intensity of reverberation in the audio input signal on receiving information on one or more features of the audio input signal. Claims 2-13 and 15 are dependent on claims 1 and 8, and are therefore also considered to include allowable subject matter at least for the same reasons.
Conclusion
11. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SABRINA DIAZ whose telephone number is (571)272-1621. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9am-5pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ahmad Matar can be reached at 5712727488. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/SABRINA DIAZ/Examiner, Art Unit 2693
/AHMAD F. MATAR/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2693
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