DETAILED ACTION
Information Disclosure Statement
1. The information disclosure statements submitted are being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
2. 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)(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.
3. Claims 1, 3-7, 11-15, 17, 19 and 27 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Chabanne et al, U.S. Patent No. 10,158,958 (hereinafter Chabanne).
Regarding claim 1, Chabanne discloses a method comprising:
receiving by a client device (from abstract, see device) a content item comprising a video asset (from column 1, see video image) and an audio asset (from column 2, see audio signal), wherein the client device comprises a screen (from column 2, see screen) and a piezoelectric (from column 3, see piezoelectric) transducer array comprising a plurality of piezoelectric transducer (from column 2, see transducer) elements arranged parallel to the screen;
identifying, in a time segment of the audio asset, an audio component attributable (from column 5, see audio stem) to an audio source (from column 4, see source);
identifying an object (from abstract, see visual cue) depicted in a time segment of the video asset of the content item that corresponds to the audio source;
performing image analysis of frames of the time segment of the video asset (from column 6, see it can be automatically associated with a face found in the scene by facial recognition techniques. Similarly, if an audio stem exhibits characteristics of particular musical instrument (e.g., violin, piano, etc.), then the scene can be searched for an appropriate instrument and assigned a corresponding location);
determining, based at least in part on the image analysis, a virtual region (from Figure 5, see 504 and 506) for the identified object in 3D (from column 9, see 3D) space in relation to the screen of the client device (from Figure 5, see 502);
defining an audio wave field (from Figure 3, see 312, 314, 316, 318) based on the virtual region for the identified object and the audio component attributable to the audio source; and
causing the piezoelectric transducer array to transmit an at least one audio wave to generate the defined audio wave field (from Figure 8, see 810).
Regarding claim 3, Chabanne discloses wherein the determining, based at least in part on the image analysis, the virtual region of the identified object in 3D space in relation to the screen of the client device further comprises: identifying, based at least in part on the image analysis, a subset (from column 5, see mouth) of the identified object wherein the audio component attributable to the audio source originates from the subset of the identified object; and determining the virtual region of the identified object in 3D space based on the subset of the identified object.
Regarding claim 4, Chabanne discloses the method of claim 3, wherein the identified object is a person, and the subset of the identified object is a mouth (from column 5, see mouth) of the person.
Regarding claim 5, Chabanne discloses the method of claim 1, wherein causing the piezoelectric transducer array to transmit the at least one audio to generate the defined audio wave field further comprises: selecting, based on the virtual region, a subset (from Figure 3, see 304) of the plurality of piezoelectric transducer elements of the piezoelectric transducer array to transmit the at least one audio wave (from Figure 3, see 312, 314, 316, 318); and causing the transmitting of the at least one audio wave using only the subset of the plurality of piezoelectric transducer elements.
Regarding claim 6, Chabanne discloses identifying, in the time segment of the audio asset, an additional audio component attributable to an additional audio source (from Figure 4, see 404, 406); defining an additional audio wave field based on: (a) an additional virtual region of an additional identified object in 3D space that corresponds to the additional audio source; and (b) the additional audio component; and causing the piezoelectric transducer array arranged parallel to the screen to transmit an additional at least one audio wave to generate the defined additional audio wave field.
Regarding claim 7, Chabanne discloses selecting, based on the virtual region, a first subset (from Figure 4A, see 408) of the plurality of piezoelectric transducer elements of the piezoelectric transducer array to transmit the at least one audio wave to generate the defined audio wave field; causing the transmitting of the at least one audio wave to generate the defined audio wave field using only the first subset of the plurality of piezoelectric transducer elements; selecting, based on the additional virtual region, a second subset (from Figure 4A, see 410) of the plurality of piezoelectric transducer elements of the piezoelectric transducer array to transmit the at least one audio wave to generate the defined additional audio wave field, wherein the first subset and the second subset do not comprise a common piezoelectric transducer element; and causing the transmitting of the at least one audio wave to generate the defined additional audio wave field using only the second subset of the plurality of piezoelectric transducer elements,
Regarding claim 11, Chabanne discloses wherein the defining the audio wave field based on the virtual region for the identified object and the audio component attributable to the audio source comprises: determining, based on the image analysis, a vector that represents a direction (from column 5, see direction) of the audio component; and defining the audio wave field based on the vector and the virtual region of the identified object.
Regarding claim 12, Chabanne discloses identifying an additional object (from column 5, see bullet) depicted in the time segment of the video asset of the content item, wherein the determined vector originates in the object and points in the direction of the additional object.
Regarding claim 13, Chabanne discloses the plurality of piezoelectric transducer elements is further arranged underneath the screen of the client device and within a display area of the screen (from Figure 6B, see 622) of the client device.
Regarding claim 14, Chabanne discloses wherein the time segment of the audio (from column 4, see audio) asset and the time segment of the video (from column 4, see visual) asset comprise a same period of time.
Regarding claim 15, Chabanne discloses a system comprising:
input/output circuitry (from column 9, see circuitry) configured to:
receive by a client device (from abstract, see device) a content item comprising a video asset (from column 1, see video image) and an audio asset (from column 2, see audio signal), wherein the client device comprises a screen (from column 2, see screen) and a piezoelectric (from column 3, see piezoelectric) transducer array comprising a plurality of piezoelectric transducer (from column 2, see transducer) elements arranged parallel to the screen;
control circuitry configured to:
identify, in a time segment of the audio asset, an audio component (from column 5, see audio stem) attributable to an audio source (from column 4, see source);
identify an object (from abstract, see visual cue) depicted in a time segment of the video asset of the content item that corresponds to the audio source;
perform image analysis of frames of the time segment of the video asset (from column 6, see it can be automatically associated with a face found in the scene by facial recognition techniques. Similarly, if an audio stem exhibits characteristics of particular musical instrument (e.g., violin, piano, etc.), then the scene can be searched for an appropriate instrument and assigned a corresponding location));
determine, based at least in part on the image analysis, a virtual region (from Figure 5, see 504 and 506) for the identified object in 3D (from column 9, see 3D) space in relation to the screen of the client device (from Figure 5, see 502);
define an audio wave field (from Figure 3, see 312, 314, 316, 318) based on the virtual region for the identified object and the audio component attributable to the audio source; and
cause the piezoelectric transducer array to transmit an at least one audio wave to generate the defined audio wave field (from Figure 8, see 810).
Claim 17 is rejected for the same reasons as claim 3.
Claim 19 is rejected for the same reasons as claim 5.
Claim 27 is rejected for the same reasons as claim 13.
Allowable Subject Matter
4. Claims 2, 8-10, 16 and 22 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
5. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to OLISA ANWAH whose telephone number is 571-272-7533. The examiner can normally be reached Monday to Friday from 8.30 AM to 6 PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Carolyn Edwards can be reached on 571-270-7136. 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.
Any inquiry of a general nature or relating to the status of this application or proceeding should be directed to the receptionist whose telephone number is 571-272-2600.
/OLISA ANWAH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2692
Olisa Anwah
Patent Examiner
June 15, 2026
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