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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) were submitted on 09/25/2025, 10/16/2025, 11/10/2025, 12/17/2025, and 06/17/2026. The submissions are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claims 36-39 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to non-statutory subject matter. The claims recite “one of more computer readable storage media”, which under a broadest reasonable interpretation includes both transitory and non-transitory media. The specification does not exclude a transitory media which do not fall within at least one of the four categories of patent eligible subject matter. Therefore the claims are not eligible for patent protection under 101.
Suggest changing “One of more computer readable storage media” to “One of more non-transitory computer readable storage media”.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1 and 21-35 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Regarding independent claim 1: Below is the list of closest prior art.
Liu et al. (US 20250392879 A1) teaches a method for controlling the sound field of speaker arrays including obtaining a position of a listener and distance information between the position and one or more speaker arrays, wherein each of the one or more speaker arrays includes a plurality of speakers. The method includes obtaining a delay time that corresponds to each of the speakers based on the distance information. The method includes processing audio signals according to the delay times corresponding to the speakers and outputting the audio signals to the speaker arrays. Liu does not teach the method including steps of determining a location of a listener and determining that the location of the listener has moved.
Whitley (US 20120185769 A1 – Cited IDS) teaches systems and methods of presenting audio content of a received media content stream in a plurality of user controllable spot focused sound regions are disclosed. An exemplary embodiment receives an audio content stream comprising at least a first audio channel and a second audio channel; multiplies the first audio channel into a plurality of first audio channels, multiplies the second audio channel into a plurality of second audio channels; communicates a first one of the multiplied plurality of first audio channels and a first one of the multiplied plurality of second audio channels to a first audio sound region controller; and communicates a second one of the multiplied plurality of first audio channels and a second one of the multiplied plurality of second audio channels to a second audio sound region controller. Whitley does not teach the method including steps of determining a location of a listener and determining that the location of the listener has moved.
Milne et al. (US 10292000 B1 – Cited IDS) teaches a method for controlling sound field that outputted from multiple speakers. The method includes detecting the location of a listener and adjusting the speakers to aim the sound output to the listener location. Milne does not teach the method including steps of determining a location of a listener and determining that the location of the listener has moved.
Rider et al. (US 20160174011 A1 – Cited IDS) teaches a method including steps of detecting a listener actual position and adjusting volume, timing, or other aspects of the audio output to balance the soundstage for the listener based on the listener actual position.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DAVID L TON whose telephone number is (571)270-7839. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM (EST).
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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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/DAVID L TON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2695
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