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 .
Claims 1-26 are cancelled.
Double Patenting
The nonstatutory double patenting rejection is based on a judicially created doctrine grounded in public policy (a policy reflected in the statute) so as to prevent the unjustified or improper timewise extension of the “right to exclude” granted by a patent and to prevent possible harassment by multiple assignees. A nonstatutory double patenting rejection is appropriate where the claims at issue are not identical, but at least one examined application claim is not patentably distinct from the reference claim(s) because the examined application claim is either anticipated by, or would have been obvious over, the reference claim(s). See, e.g., In re Berg, 140 F.3d 1428, 46 USPQ2d 1226 (Fed. Cir. 1998); In re Goodman, 11 F.3d 1046, 29 USPQ2d 2010 (Fed. Cir. 1993); In re Longi, 759 F.2d 887, 225 USPQ 645 (Fed. Cir. 1985); In re Van Ornum, 686 F.2d 937, 214 USPQ 761 (CCPA 1982); In re Vogel, 422 F.2d 438, 164 USPQ 619 (CCPA 1970); and In re Thorington, 418 F.2d 528, 163 USPQ 644 (CCPA 1969).
A timely filed terminal disclaimer in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(c) or 1.321(d) may be used to overcome an actual or provisional rejection based on a nonstatutory double patenting ground provided the reference application or patent either is shown to be commonly owned with this application, or claims an invention made as a result of activities undertaken within the scope of a joint research agreement. A terminal disclaimer must be signed in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(b).
The USPTO internet Web site contains terminal disclaimer forms which may be used. Please visit http://www.uspto.gov/forms/. The filing date of the application will determine what form should be used. A web-based eTerminal Disclaimer may be filled out completely online using web-screens. An eTerminal Disclaimer that meets all requirements is auto-processed and approved immediately upon submission. For more information about eTerminal Disclaimers, refer to http://www.uspto.gov/patents/process/file/efs/guidance/eTD-info-I.jsp.
Application #18/895,636
Claim 27: An apparatus comprising:
at least one processor; and
at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:
obtain one or more audio signals, wherein the one or more audio signals comprise audio captured with a plurality of microphones;
divide the obtained one or more audio signals into a plurality of intervals;
determine one or more parameters relating to one or more noise characteristics for respective ones of the plurality of intervals; and
control noise reduction applied to the respective ones of the plurality of intervals based on the determined one or more parameters within the respective ones of the plurality of intervals.
Claim 28: An apparatus as claimed in claim 27, wherein controlling the noise reduction applied at least comprises the instructions, when executed with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to:
determine whether to provide a substantially mono signal or a spatial signal based on the determined one or more parameters.
Patent #12,137,328
Claim 1: An apparatus comprising:
at least one processor; and
at least one memory including computer code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:
obtain one or more audio signals, wherein the one or more audio signals comprise audio captured with a plurality of microphones;
divide the obtained one or more audio signals into a plurality of intervals;
determine one or more parameters relating to one or more noise characteristics for respective ones of the plurality of intervals; and
control noise reduction applied to the respective ones of the plurality of intervals based on the determined one or more parameters within the respective ones of the plurality of intervals,
wherein controlling the noise reduction applied at least comprises:
determining whether to provide at least partially mono audio output or spatial audio output based on the determined one or more parameters.
Claim 30: An apparatus as claimed in claim 28,
wherein the substantially mono signal comprises two or more channels, wherein audio signals for respective ones of the two or more channels are substantially similar.
Claim 31: An apparatus as claimed in claim 27,
wherein the plurality of intervals comprise time-frequency intervals.
Claim 32: An apparatus as claimed in claim 27,
wherein the one or more noise characteristics comprise noise levels.
Claim 33: An apparatus as claimed in claim 27,
wherein the one or more parameters relating to the one or more noise characteristics are determined independently for the respective ones of the plurality of intervals.
Claim 34: An apparatus as claimed in claim 27,
wherein the instructions, when executed with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to:
determine whether or not the one or more parameters are within a threshold range.
Claim 35: An apparatus as claimed in claim 34,
wherein different thresholds for the one or more parameters relating to the one or more noise characteristics are used for different frequency ranges within the plurality of intervals.
Claim 36: An apparatus as claimed in claim 27,
wherein the one or more parameters relating to the one or more noise characteristics comprise one or more of:
noise level in an interval;
noise levels in intervals preceding an analysed interval;
methods of noise reduction used for a previous frequency interval;
duration for which a current method of noise reduction has been used within a frequency band; or
orientation of the plurality of microphones that capture the one or more audio signals.
Claim 37: An apparatus as claimed in claim 27,
wherein the noise reduction applied to a first interval is independent of the noise reduction applied to a second interval wherein the first and second intervals have different frequencies but overlapping times.
Claim 38: An apparatus as claimed in claim 27,
wherein different noise reduction is applied to different intervals where the different intervals have different frequencies and overlapping times.
Claim 39: An apparatus as claimed in claim 27,
wherein controlling the noise reduction applied to an interval comprises the instructions, when executed with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to one or more of:
select a method used for noise reduction within the interval;
determine when to switch between different methods used for noise reduction within one or more intervals;
provide a noise reduced spatial output;
provide a spatial output with no noise reduction;
provide a noise reduced mono audio output;
provide a beamformed output; or
provide a noise reduced beamformed output.
Claim 40: An apparatus as claimed in claim 27,
wherein the one or more noise characteristics are associated with one or more of:
noise that has been detected with one or more of the plurality of microphones that capture audio within the one or more audio signals,
wind noise; or
handling noises.
Claim 41: A method comprising:
obtaining one or more audio signals, wherein the one or more audio signals comprise audio captured with a plurality of microphones;
dividing the obtained one or more audio signals into a plurality of intervals;
determining one or more parameters relating to one or more noise characteristics for respective ones of the plurality of intervals; and
controlling noise reduction applied to the respective ones of the plurality of intervals based on the determined one or more parameters within the respective ones of the plurality of intervals.
Claim 33: An apparatus as claimed in claim 27,
wherein the one or more parameters relating to the one or more noise characteristics are determined independently for the respective ones of the plurality of intervals.
Claim 42: An apparatus comprising:
at least one processor; and
at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:
obtain one or more audio signals, wherein the one or more audio signals comprise audio captured with a plurality of microphones;
divide the obtained one or more audio signals into a plurality of intervals;
determine one or more parameters relating to one or more noise characteristics for respective ones of the plurality of intervals; and
determine whether to provide a substantially mono signal or a spatial signal based on the determined one or more parameters.
Claim 45: The apparatus of claim 42,
wherein the plurality of intervals comprise time-frequency intervals.
Claim 32: An apparatus as claimed in claim 27,
wherein the one or more noise characteristics comprise noise levels.
Claim 46: The apparatus of claim 42,
wherein determining the one or more parameters relating to the one or more noise characteristics comprises the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to:
determine whether energy differences between microphone signals from different microphones within the plurality of microphones are within a threshold range; and
determine whether a switch between the substantially mono signal and the spatial signal has been made within a threshold time.
Claim 12: An apparatus as claimed in claim 1,
wherein the at least partially mono audio output comprises two or more channels, wherein audio signals for respective ones of the two or more channels are substantially similar.
Claim 2: An apparatus as claimed in claim 1,
wherein the plurality of intervals comprise time-frequency intervals.
Claim 3: An apparatus as claimed in claim 1,
wherein the one or more noise characteristics comprise noise levels.
Claim 4: An apparatus as claimed in claim 1,
wherein the one or more parameters relating to the one or more noise characteristics are determined independently for the respective ones of the plurality of intervals.
Claim 5: An apparatus as claimed in claim 1,
wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to:
determine whether or not the one or more parameters are within a threshold range.
Claim 6: An apparatus as claimed in claim 5,
wherein different thresholds for the one or more parameters relating to the one or more noise characteristics are used for different frequency ranges within the plurality of intervals.
Claim 7: An apparatus as claimed in claim 1,
wherein the one or more parameters relating to the one or more noise characteristics comprise one or more of:
noise level in an interval;
noise levels in intervals preceding an analysed interval;
methods of noise reduction used for a previous frequency interval;
duration for which a current method of noise reduction has been used within a frequency band; or
orientation of the plurality of microphones that capture the one or more audio signals.
Claim 8: An apparatus as claimed in claim 1,
wherein the noise reduction applied to a first interval is independent of the noise reduction applied to a second interval wherein the first and second intervals have different frequencies but overlapping times.
Claim 9: An apparatus as claimed in claim 1,
wherein different noise reduction is applied to different intervals where the different intervals have different frequencies and overlapping times.
Claim 10: 10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1,
wherein controlling the noise reduction applied to an interval comprises the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to one or more of:
select a method used for noise reduction within the interval;
determine when to switch between different methods used for noise reduction within one or more intervals;
provide a noise reduced spatial output;
provide a spatial output with no noise reduction;
provide a noise reduced mono audio output;
provide a beamformed output; or
provide a noise reduced beamformed output.
Claim 11: An apparatus as claimed in claim 1,
wherein the one or more noise characteristics are associated with one or more of:
noise that has been detected with one or more of the plurality of microphones that capture audio within the one or more audio signals;
wind noise; or
handling noises.
Claim 13: A method comprising:
obtaining one or more audio signals, wherein the one or more audio signals comprise audio captured with a plurality of microphones;
dividing the obtained one or more audio signals into a plurality of intervals;
determining one or more parameters relating to one or more noise characteristics for respective ones of the plurality of intervals; and
controlling noise reduction applied to the respective ones of the plurality of intervals based on the determined one or more parameters within the respective ones of the plurality of intervals,
wherein controlling the noise reduction applied at least comprises:
determining whether to provide at least partially mono audio output or spatial audio output based on the determined one or more parameters.
Claim 14: A method as claimed in claim 13,
wherein the one or more parameters relating to the one or more noise characteristics are determined independently for the respective ones of the plurality of intervals.
Claim 15: An apparatus comprising:
at least one processor; and
at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:
obtain one or more audio signals, wherein the one or more audio signals comprise audio captured with a plurality of microphones;
divide the obtained one or more audio signals into a plurality of intervals;
determine one or more parameters relating to one or more noise characteristics for respective ones of the plurality of intervals; and
determine whether to provide at least partially mono audio output or spatial audio output based on the determined one or more parameters.
Claim 16: An apparatus as claimed in claim 15,
wherein the plurality of intervals comprise time-frequency intervals.
Claim 17: An apparatus as claimed in claim 15,
wherein the one or more noise characteristics comprise noise levels.
Claim 18: An apparatus as claimed in claim 15,
wherein determining to provide the at least partially mono audio output comprises the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to:
determine a microphone signal that has a least amount of noise;
use the determined microphone signal to provide the at least partially mono audio output; and
combine microphone signals from two or more of the plurality of microphones, wherein the two or more of the plurality of microphones are located close to each other.
Claim 19: An apparatus as claimed in claim 15,
wherein determining the one or more parameters relating to the one or more noise characteristics for the different intervals comprises the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to:
determine whether energy differences between microphone signals from different microphones within the plurality of microphones are within a threshold range; and
determine whether a switch between the at least partially mono audio output and the spatial audio output has been made within a threshold time.
Claim 20: An apparatus as claimed in claim 15,
wherein the at least partially mono audio output is provided for a first frequency band within a first interval of the plurality of intervals and the spatial audio output is provided for a second frequency band within a second interval of the plurality of intervals, wherein the first and second intervals have different frequencies but overlapping times.
Claim 21: A method comprising:
obtaining one or more audio signals, wherein the one or more audio signals comprise audio captured with a plurality of microphones;
dividing the obtained one or more audio signals into a plurality of intervals;
determining one or more parameters relating to one or more noise characteristics for respective ones of the plurality of intervals; and
determining whether to provide at least partially mono audio output or spatial audio output based on the determined one or more parameters.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
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.
Claim 40 is 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.
Claims 40 recites “handling noises”, which is not clear. “Handling noises” is interpreted from a dictionary meaning, which refers to “the unwanted thumps, rumbles, and static picked up by a microphone when its body, cable, or stand is bumped, rubbed, or adjusted. It occurs because physical vibrations transfer mechanically into the sensitive capsule”.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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 27-41 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Vilermo e al. (US #2019/0088267) in view of Janse et al. (US #2018/0122399).
Regarding Claim 27, Vilermo discloses an apparatus (title, abstract, figs. 1-12) comprising:
at least one processor (Vilermo fig. 2: processing circuitry 5); and
at least one memory storing instructions (Vilermo fig. 2: memory circuitry 7, computer program 9, and computer program code 11) that, when executed with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:
obtain one or more audio signals (Vilermo fig. 5: detected audio signals 41), wherein the one or more audio signals comprise audio captured with a plurality of microphones (Vilermo fig. 5: microphones 23);
divide the obtained one or more audio signals into a plurality of intervals (Vilermo ¶0043 discloses dividing 33 the obtained spatial audio signal 41 into at least a first component 45 and a second component 46. ¶0055 discloses the apparatus 1 may process the audio signals by dividing the detected audio signals into a plurality of different components. The different components may comprise one or more direct audio components and one or more ambient audio components. ¶0075 discloses the obtained audio signals may be divided into more than two components; fig. 5. ¶0084 discloses the noise reduction systems 47, 48 may comprise a noise gate method. The noise gate method may comprise dividing the obtained audio signal 41 into short segments and converting these segments into the frequency domain);
determine one or more parameters relating to one or more noise characteristics for respective ones of the plurality of intervals (Vilermo ¶0088 discloses the different amounts of noise reduction could be achieved by using different types of noise reduction systems or by using the same type of noise reduction system but with different parameters); and
control noise reduction applied to the respective ones of the plurality of intervals based on the determined one or more parameters within the respective ones of the plurality of intervals (Vilermo ¶0082 discloses the amount of noise reduction may be controlled by varying the portion of the average background noise that is subtracted. ¶0096 discloses audio feature detection is used to control the noise reduction systems 47, 48 that are applied to the audio components 47, 48. ¶0099 discloses once a feature in the obtained audio signal 41 has been identified this information may be used to control the noise reduction systems 47,48. The amount of noise reduction that is applied may be controlled in accordance with the identified audio features; fig. 5. ¶0118 discloses noise reduction systems 47, 48 applied to both the direct audio component 45 and the ambient audio component 46 are controlled simultaneously. In other examples the noise reduction system 47, 48 applied to both the direct audio component 45 and the ambient audio component 46 may be controlled separately. ¶0134 discloses once the type of noise reduction system 47, 48 and/or the level of noise reduction have been identified the apparatus 1 may control the electronic device 21 to provide the selected level of type and/or level of noise reduction. It is to be appreciated that different types and/or levels of noise reduction may be provided to the different audio components 45, 46 in accordance with the objects that have been identified).
Vilermo may not explicitly disclose determine one or more parameters relating to one or more noise characteristics for respective ones of the plurality of intervals; and control noise reduction applied to the respective ones of the plurality of intervals based on the determined one or more parameters within the respective ones of the plurality of intervals.
However, Janse (title, abstract, figs. 1-11) teaches determine one or more parameters relating to one or more noise characteristics (Janse ¶0126 discloses the gain unit 409 may use different parameter values for a single function with the parameter values being dependent on the designation. ¶0127 discloses the gain unit 409 is arranged to determine a lower gain value for a time frequency tile gain when the corresponding time frequency tile is designated as a noise tile than when it is designated as a speech tile. Thus, if all other parameters used to determine the gains are unchanged, the gain unit 409 will calculate a lower gain value for a noise tile than for a speech tile) for respective ones of the plurality of intervals (Janse ¶0126 discloses thus, the gain calculation is dependent on the designation, and the resulting gain will be different for time frequency tiles that are designated as speech tiles than for time frequency tiles that are designated as noise tiles. ¶0128 discloses the designation is segment/frame based, i.e. the same designation is applied to all time frequency tiles of a time segment/frame. Accordingly, the gains for the time segments/frames estimated to comprise sufficient speech are set higher than for the time segments estimated not to comprise sufficient speech [all other parameters being equal]; fig. 4); and
control noise reduction applied to the respective ones of the plurality of intervals (Janse ¶0098 discloses the first transformer 401 is arranged to generate a first frequency domain signal by applying a frequency transform to the first microphone signal. Specifically, the first microphone signal is divided into time segments/intervals. Each time segment/interval comprises a group of samples which are transformed, e.g. by an FFT, into a group of frequency domain samples. ¶0100 discloses the second transformer 401 is arranged to generate a second frequency domain signal by applying a frequency transform to the second microphone signal. Specifically, the second microphone signal is divided into time segments/intervals. Each time segment/interval comprises a group of samples which are transformed, e.g. by an FFT, into a group of frequency domain samples. ¶0116 discloses the noise suppressor is arranged to designate time frequency tiles as being speech [time frequency] tiles or being noise [time frequency tiles], and to determine the gains in dependence on the designation of the designation) based on the determined one or more parameters within the respective ones of the plurality of intervals (Janse ¶0140 discloses the dependency on the gain of whether a time frequency tile is designated as a speech tile or as a noise tile is not a constant value but is itself dependent on one or more parameters).
Vilermo and Janse are analogous art as they pertain to noise reduction control. Therefore it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention was made to modify noise reduction (as taught by Vilermo) to divide microphone signals into time segments/intervals (as taught by Janse, ¶0098) to provide a system to extract speech in a noisy environment (Janse, ¶0002).
Regarding Claim 28, Vilermo in view of Janse discloses an apparatus as claimed in claim 27, wherein controlling the noise reduction applied at least comprises the instructions, when executed with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to:
determine whether to provide a substantially mono signal or a spatial signal based on the determined one or more parameters (Vilermo ¶0088 discloses the different amounts of noise reduction could be achieved by using different types of noise reduction systems or by using the same type of noise reduction system but with different parameters. ¶0145 discloses fig. 11 illustrates an example system in which a plurality of different noise reduction systems 47, 48 are applied to the direct and ambient components 45, 46. The different direct and ambient components 45, 46 with different levels of noise reduction can then be transmitted from the electronic device 21 to another electronic device 101 in a plurality of layers. ¶0146-¶0148 discloses figs. 11 and 12, different bitrates and different complexities are illustrated. It is implicit that when there is no noise reduction [step 127] then a mono signal can be provided and when there is noise reduction as shown in [steps 121-123] then a spatial signal can be provided).
Regarding Claim 29, Vilermo in view of Janse discloses the apparatus as claimed in claim 28,
wherein the substantially mono signal is from a smaller subset of the plurality of microphones than the spatial signal (Vilermo ¶0088 discloses the different amounts of noise reduction could be achieved by using different types of noise reduction systems or by using the same type of noise reduction system but with different parameters. ¶0145 discloses fig. 11 illustrates an example system in which a plurality of different noise reduction systems 47, 48 are applied to the direct and ambient components 45, 46. The different direct and ambient components 45, 46 with different levels of noise reduction can then be transmitted from the electronic device 21 to another electronic device 101 in a plurality of layers. ¶0146-¶0148 discloses figs. 11 and 12, different bitrates and different complexities are illustrated. It is implicit that when there is no noise reduction [step 127] then a mono signal can be provided and when there is noise reduction as shown in [steps 121-123] then a spatial signal can be provided).
Regarding Claim 30, Vilermo in view of Janse discloses an apparatus as claimed in claim 28,
wherein the substantially mono signal comprises two or more channels, wherein audio signals for respective ones of the two or more channels are substantially similar (Vilermo ¶0088 discloses the different amounts of noise reduction could be achieved by using different types of noise reduction systems or by using the same type of noise reduction system but with different parameters. ¶0145 discloses fig. 11 illustrates an example system in which a plurality of different noise reduction systems 47, 48 are applied to the direct and ambient components 45, 46. The different direct and ambient components 45, 46 with different levels of noise reduction can then be transmitted from the electronic device 21 to another electronic device 101 in a plurality of layers. ¶0146-¶0148 discloses figs. 11 and 12, different bitrates and different complexities are illustrated. It is implicit that when there is no noise reduction [step 127] then a mono signal can be provided and when there is noise reduction as shown in [steps 121-123] then a spatial signal can be provided).
Regarding Claim 31, Vilermo in view of Janse discloses an apparatus as claimed in claim 27,
wherein the plurality of intervals comprise time-frequency intervals (Vilermo ¶0081 discloses the noise reduction systems 47, 48 may comprise a quiet frame method. The quiet frame method may comprise dividing the components 45, 46 of the obtained audio signal 41 into short segments and identifying the quietest frames. In some examples a certain percentage of the quietest frames may be identified. The quietest frames may be assumed to be representative of background noise. ¶0084 discloses the noise gate method may comprise dividing the obtained audio signal 41 into short segments and converting these segments into the frequency domain).
Regarding Claim 32, Vilermo in view of Janse discloses an apparatus as claimed in claim 27,
wherein the one or more noise characteristics comprise noise levels (Vilermo ¶0101 discloses if the spectral flatness is above a threshold, then the direct audio component 45 may be determined to have a high noise level and may be determined to comprise a constant or steady sound source).
Regarding Claim 33, Vilermo in view of Janse discloses an apparatus as claimed in claim 27,
wherein the one or more parameters relating to the one or more noise characteristics are determined independently for the respective ones of the plurality of intervals (Vilermo ¶0088 discloses the different amounts of noise reduction could be achieved by using different types of noise reduction systems or by using the same type of noise reduction system but with different parameters. ¶0081 discloses the noise reduction systems 47, 48 may comprise a quiet frame method. The quiet frame method may comprise dividing the components 45, 46 of the obtained audio signal 41 into short segments and identifying the quietest frames. In some examples a certain percentage of the quietest frames may be identified. The quietest frames may be assumed to be representative of background noise. ¶0084 discloses the noise gate method may comprise dividing the obtained audio signal 41 into short segments and converting these segments into the frequency domain).
Regarding Claim 34, Vilermo in view of Janse discloses an apparatus as claimed in claim 27, wherein the instructions, when executed with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to:
determine whether or not the one or more parameters are within a threshold range (Vilermo ¶0085 discloses once the segments have been converted into the frequency domain any segments that are below a threshold value are zeroed. The threshold value may be predetermined value or may be determined from an average signal value. The average signal values may be obtained for each frequency. ¶0086 discloses in systems where noise gate methods are used the amount of noise reduction can be changed by changing the threshold. For example, strong noise reduction system may use a threshold that is 20 dB below the average signal value and weak noise reduction system may use a threshold that is 30 dB below average signal value. Other threshold values may be used in other examples of the disclosure. ¶0101 discloses if the spectral flatness is above a threshold, then the direct audio component 45 may be determined to have a high noise level and may be determined to comprise a constant or steady sound source. ¶0107 discloses if the correlation value is below a threshold, then the estimate of the direction is not considered to be reliable. Such cases may occur during gaps between speech where a speaker or speakers are silent or in situations where only ambient noises occur such as a crowd scene or other environment).
Regarding Claim 35, Vilermo in view of Janse discloses an apparatus as claimed in claim 34,
wherein different thresholds for the one or more parameters relating to the one or more noise characteristics are used for different frequency ranges within the plurality of intervals (Vilermo ¶0084 discloses the noise gate method may comprise dividing the obtained audio signal 41 into short segments and converting these segments into the frequency domain. ¶0085 discloses once the segments have been converted into the frequency domain any segments that are below a threshold value are zeroed. The threshold value may be predetermined value or may be determined from an average signal value. The average signal values may be obtained for each frequency. ¶0086 discloses in systems where noise gate methods are used the amount of noise reduction can be changed by changing the threshold. For example, strong noise reduction system may use a threshold that is 20 dB below the average signal value and weak noise reduction system may use a threshold that is 30 dB below average signal value. Other threshold values may be used in other examples of the disclosure. ¶0101 discloses if the spectral flatness is above a threshold, then the direct audio component 45 may be determined to have a high noise level and may be determined to comprise a constant or steady sound source. ¶0107 discloses if the correlation value is below a threshold, then the estimate of the direction is not considered to be reliable. Such cases may occur during gaps between speech where a speaker or speakers are silent or in situations where only ambient noises occur such as a crowd scene or other environment).
Regarding Claim 36, Vilermo in view of Janse discloses an apparatus as claimed in claim 27, wherein the one or more parameters relating to the one or more noise characteristics comprise one or more of:
noise level in an interval (Vilermo ¶0101 discloses if a direct audio component 45 comprises a constant or steady sound source then there may be very little energy changes between different frames of the direct audio component 45. In some examples the amount of noise in the direct audio component 45 may be determined to identify the features in the direct audio component 45. In some examples a spectral flatness measure may be calculated for the direct audio component 45. If the spectral flatness is above a threshold, then the direct audio component 45 may be determined to have a high noise level and may be determined to comprise a constant or steady sound source);
noise levels in intervals preceding an analysed interval (Vilermo ¶0101 discloses if the spectral flatness is above a threshold, then the direct audio component 45 may be determined to have a high noise level and may be determined to comprise a constant or steady sound source);
methods of noise reduction used for a previous frequency interval (Vilermo ¶0081 discloses the noise reduction systems 47, 48 may comprise a quiet frame method. The quiet frame method may comprise dividing the components 45, 46 of the obtained audio signal 41 into short segments and identifying the quietest frames. ¶0084 discloses the noise reduction systems 47, 48 may comprise a noise gate method. The noise gate method may comprise dividing the obtained audio signal 41 into short segments and converting these segments into the frequency domain. ¶0087 discloses other noise reduction systems can be used); duration for which a current method of noise reduction has been used within a frequency band; or
orientation of the plurality of microphones that capture the one or more audio signals (Vilermo ¶0056 discloses the plurality of microphones 23 may be located at any suitable position within the electronic device 21. The microphones 23 may be located at different positions within the electronic device 21 to enable a spatial audio signal to be recorded. One or more of the microphones 23 may be positioned on a different side of the electronic device to one or more of the other microphones 23).
Regarding Claim 37, Vilermo in view of Janse discloses an apparatus as claimed in claim 27,
wherein the noise reduction applied to a first interval is independent of the noise reduction applied to a second interval wherein the first and second intervals have different frequencies but overlapping times (Vilermo ¶0079 discloses a different noise reduction system is applied to each of the audio components. A first noise reduction system 47 is applied to the direct and audio component 45 and a second noise reduction system 48 is applied to the ambient audio component 46. Also ¶0087 and ¶0088 first noise reduction 47 and second noise reduction 48 can be different).
Regarding Claim 38, Vilermo in view of Janse discloses an apparatus as claimed in claim 27,
wherein different noise reduction is applied to different intervals where the different intervals have different frequencies and overlapping times (Vilermo ¶0079 discloses a different noise reduction system is applied to each of the audio components. A first noise reduction system 47 is applied to the direct and audio component 45 and a second noise reduction system 48 is applied to the ambient audio component 46. Also ¶0087 and ¶0088 first noise reduction 47 and second noise reduction 48 can be different).
Regarding Claim 39, Vilermo in view of Janse discloses an apparatus as claimed in claim 27, wherein controlling the noise reduction applied to an interval comprises the instructions, when executed with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to one or more of:
select a method used for noise reduction within the interval (Vilermo ¶0081 discloses the noise reduction systems 47, 48 may comprise a quiet frame method. The quiet frame method may comprise dividing the components 45, 46 of the obtained audio signal 41 into short segments and identifying the quietest frames. ¶0084 discloses the noise reduction systems 47, 48 may comprise a noise gate method. The noise gate method may comprise dividing the obtained audio signal 41 into short segments and converting these segments into the frequency domain);
determine when to switch between different methods used for noise reduction within one or more intervals (Vilermo ¶0088 discloses the different amounts of noise reduction could be achieved by using different types of noise reduction systems or by using the same type of noise reduction system but with different parameters. ¶0145 discloses fig. 11 illustrates an example system in which a plurality of different noise reduction systems 47, 48 are applied to the direct and ambient components 45, 46. The different direct and ambient components 45, 46 with different levels of noise reduction can then be transmitted from the electronic device 21 to another electronic device 101 in a plurality of layers. ¶0146-¶0148 discloses figs. 11 and 12, different bitrates and different complexities are illustrated. It is implicit that when there is no noise reduction [step 127] then a mono signal can be provided and when there is noise reduction as shown in [steps 121-123] then a spatial signal can be provided);
provide a noise reduced spatial output (Vilermo fig. 12: step 121; high noise reduction – direct audio signal, i.e. spatial audio signal);
provide a spatial output with no noise reduction (Vilermo fig. 12: step 125; low noise reduction – direct audio signal, i.e. spatial audio signal);
provide a noise reduced mono audio output (Vilermo fig. 12: step 125; low noise reduction – direct audio signal, i.e. can be mono audio signal);
provide a beamformed output (Vilermo ¶0151 discloses the one or more of the microphones used for obtaining a beamforming signal could be a virtual microphone, that is, an arithmetic combination of at least two real microphone signals); or
provide a noise reduced beamformed output (Vilermo ¶0151 discloses although embodiments of the present invention have been described in the preceding paragraphs with reference to various examples, it should be appreciated that modifications to the examples given can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as claimed. For instance, in the above the described examples all of the microphones used are real microphones. In some examples, the one or more of the microphones used for obtaining a beamforming signal could be a virtual microphone, that is, an arithmetic combination of at least two real microphone signals. ¶0079 discloses once the direct audio component 45 and the ambient audio component 46 have been obtained noise reductions systems are applied to the components).
Regarding Claim 40, Vilermo in view of Janse discloses an apparatus as claimed in claim 27, wherein the one or more noise characteristics are associated with one or more of:
noise that has been detected with one or more of the plurality of microphones that capture audio within the one or more audio signals (Vilermo figs. 4-6 and 8-11),
wind noise (Vilermo ¶0077 discloses wind noise), or handling noises (Handling noise refers to the unwanted thumps, rumbles, and static picked up by a microphone when its body, cable, or stand is bumped, rubbed, or adjusted. It occurs because physical vibrations transfer mechanically into the sensitive capsule, can be a design variant, since a vibration can occur and the microphones can pick up such vibrations).
Claim 41 is rejected for the same reasons as set forth in Claim 27.
Claims 42-46 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Vilermo e al. (US #2019/0088267) in view of Janse et al. (US #2018/0122399) further in view of Karkkainen et al. (US #2016/0014517).
Regarding Claim 42, Vilermo discloses an apparatus comprising:
at least one processor (Vilermo fig. 2: processing circuitry 5); and
at least one memory storing instructions (Vilermo fig. 2: memory circuitry 7, computer program 9, and computer program code 11) that, when executed with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:
obtain one or more audio signals (Vilermo fig. 5: detected audio signals 41), wherein the one or more audio signals comprise audio captured with a plurality of microphones (Vilermo fig. 5: microphones 23);
divide the obtained one or more audio signals into a plurality of intervals (Vilermo ¶0043 discloses dividing 33 the obtained spatial audio signal 41 into at least a first component 45 and a second component 46. ¶0055 discloses the apparatus 1 may process the audio signals by dividing the detected audio signals into a plurality of different components. The different components may comprise one or more direct audio components and one or more ambient audio components. ¶0075 discloses the obtained audio signals may be divided into more than two components; fig. 5. ¶0084 discloses the noise reduction systems 47, 48 may comprise a noise gate method. The noise gate method may comprise dividing the obtained audio signal 41 into short segments and converting these segments into the frequency domain);
determine one or more parameters relating to one or more noise characteristics for respective ones of the plurality of intervals (Vilermo ¶0088 discloses the different amounts of noise reduction could be achieved by using different types of noise reduction systems or by using the same type of noise reduction system but with different parameters).
Vilermo may not explicitly disclose determine one or more parameters relating to one or more noise characteristics for respective ones of the plurality of intervals; and determine whether to provide a substantially mono signal or a spatial signal based on the determined one or more parameters.
However, Janse (title, abstract, figs. 1-11) teaches determine one or more parameters relating to one or more noise characteristics (Janse ¶0126 discloses the gain unit 409 may use different parameter values for a single function with the parameter values being dependent on the designation. ¶0127 discloses the gain unit 409 is arranged to determine a lower gain value for a time frequency tile gain when the corresponding time frequency tile is designated as a noise tile than when it is designated as a speech tile. Thus, if all other parameters used to determine the gains are unchanged, the gain unit 409 will calculate a lower gain value for a noise tile than for a speech tile) for respective ones of the plurality of intervals (Janse ¶0126 discloses thus, the gain calculation is dependent on the designation, and the resulting gain will be different for time frequency tiles that are designated as speech tiles than for time frequency tiles that are designated as noise tiles. ¶0128 discloses the designation is segment/frame based, i.e. the same designation is applied to all time frequency tiles of a time segment/frame. Accordingly, the gains for the time segments/frames estimated to comprise sufficient speech are set higher than for the time segments estimated not to comprise sufficient speech [all other parameters being equal]; fig. 4).
Vilermo and Janse are analogous art as they pertain to noise reduction control. Therefore it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention was made to modify noise reduction (as taught by Vilermo) to divide microphone signals into time segments/intervals (as taught by Janse, ¶0098) to provide a system to extract speech in a noisy environment (Janse, ¶0002).
And Karkkainen (title, abstract, figs. 1-3) teaches determine whether to provide a substantially mono signal or a spatial signal based on the determined one or more parameters (Karkkainen fig. 3: generate modal parameters 206, modify mode parameters by context 207, generate beamforming parameters 209, apply audio processing to audio [using beamforming parameters] 213; ¶0061 discloses other output audio signal formats may be generated and stored such as mono or multichannel [such as 5.1] audio signal formats).
Vilermo, Janse, and Karkkainen are analogous art as they pertain to noise reduction control. Therefore it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention was made to modify the teachings of Vilermo in view of Janse in light of the teachings of Karkkainen to output processed modal parameters to the audio signal processor (as taught by Karkkainen, ¶0098) to consider the detection from sensors which can be used to configure or modify the configuration of the audio directional processing to thus improve the safety of the user in various environments (Karkkainen, ¶0007).
Regarding Claim 43, Vilermo in view of Janse and Karkkainen discloses the apparatus of claim 42,
wherein the substantially mono signal is from a smaller subset of the plurality of microphones than the spatial signal (Vilermo ¶0088 discloses the different amounts of noise reduction could be achieved by using different types of noise reduction systems or by using the same type of noise reduction system but with different parameters. ¶0145 discloses fig. 11 illustrates an example system in which a plurality of different noise reduction systems 47, 48 are applied to the direct and ambient components 45, 46. The different direct and ambient components 45, 46 with different levels of noise reduction can then be transmitted from the electronic device 21 to another electronic device 101 in a plurality of layers. ¶0146-¶0148 discloses figs. 11 and 12, different bitrates and different complexities are illustrated. It is implicit that when there is no noise reduction [step 127] then a mono signal can be provided and when there is noise reduction as shown in [steps 121-123] then a spatial signal can be provided).
Regarding Claim 44, Vilermo in view of Janse and Karkkainen discloses the apparatus of claim 42,
wherein the substantially mono signal comprises two or more channels, wherein audio signals for respective ones of the two or more channels are substantially similar (Vilermo ¶0088 discloses the different amounts of noise reduction could be achieved by using different types of noise reduction systems or by using the same type of noise reduction system but with different parameters. ¶0145 discloses fig. 11 illustrates an example system in which a plurality of different noise reduction systems 47, 48 are applied to the direct and ambient components 45, 46. The different direct and ambient components 45, 46 with different levels of noise reduction can then be transmitted from the electronic device 21 to another electronic device 101 in a plurality of layers. ¶0146-¶0148 discloses figs. 11 and 12, different bitrates and different complexities are illustrated. It is implicit that when there is no noise reduction [step 127] then a mono signal can be provided and when there is noise reduction as shown in [steps 121-123] then a spatial signal can be provided).
Regarding Claim 45, Vilermo in view of Janse and Karkkainen discloses the apparatus of claim 42,
wherein the plurality of intervals comprise time-frequency intervals (Vilermo ¶0081 discloses the noise reduction systems 47, 48 may comprise a quiet frame method. The quiet frame method may comprise dividing the components 45, 46 of the obtained audio signal 41 into short segments and identifying the quietest frames. In some examples a certain percentage of the quietest frames may be identified. The quietest frames may be assumed to be representative of background noise. ¶0084 discloses the noise gate method may comprise dividing the obtained audio signal 41 into short segments and converting these segments into the frequency domain).
Regarding Claim 46, Vilermo in view of Janse and Karkkainen discloses the apparatus of claim 42, wherein determining the one or more parameters relating to the one or more noise characteristics comprises the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to:
determine whether energy differences between microphone signals from different microphones within the plurality of microphones are within a threshold range (Vilermo ¶0085 discloses once the segments have been converted into the frequency domain any segments that are below a threshold value are zeroed. The threshold value may be predetermined value or may be determined from an average signal value. The average signal values may be obtained for each frequency. ¶0086 discloses in systems where noise gate methods are used the amount of noise reduction can be changed by changing the threshold. For example, strong noise reduction system may use a threshold that is 20 dB below the average signal value and weak noise reduction system may use a threshold that is 30 dB below average signal value. Other threshold values may be used in other examples of the disclosure. ¶0101 discloses if the spectral flatness is above a threshold, then the direct audio component 45 may be determined to have a high noise level and may be determined to comprise a constant or steady sound source. ¶0107 discloses if the correlation value is below a threshold, then the estimate of the direction is not considered to be reliable. Such cases may occur during gaps between speech where a speaker or speakers are silent or in situations where only ambient noises occur such as a crowd scene or other environment); and
determine whether a switch between the substantially mono signal and the spatial signal has been made within a threshold time (Vilermo ¶0088 discloses the different amounts of noise reduction could be achieved by using different types of noise reduction systems or by using the same type of noise reduction system but with different parameters. ¶0145 discloses fig. 11 illustrates an example system in which a plurality of different noise reduction systems 47, 48 are applied to the direct and ambient components 45, 46. The different direct and ambient components 45, 46 with different levels of noise reduction can then be transmitted from the electronic device 21 to another electronic device 101 in a plurality of layers. ¶0146-¶0148 discloses figs. 11 and 12, different bitrates and different complexities are illustrated. It is implicit that when there is no noise reduction [step 127] then a mono signal can be provided and when there is noise reduction as shown in [steps 121-123] then a spatial signal can be provided).
Conclusion
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/YOGESHKUMAR PATEL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2691
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