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 statement (IDS) submitted on 11/21/2024 is being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawing submitted on 11/07/2024 is being considered by the examiner.
For examination purpose examiner treated claim 15 dependency as to the claim 10, which is device claim. Appropriate correction is required.
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 conflicting claims 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); 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 nonstatutory double patenting provided the reference application or patent either is shown to be commonly owned with the examined application, or claims an invention made as a result of activities undertaken within the scope of a joint research agreement. See MPEP § 717.02 for applications subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA as explained in MPEP § 2159. See MPEP § 2146 et seq. for applications not subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . A terminal disclaimer must be signed in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(b).
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Claims 1-3, 7, 9-16 and 18-19 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory obviousness-type double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-4, 8-15 and 17-18 of U.S. Patent No. 12165673.
Pending Application 18939759
Patent 12165673
1. A method for providing noise suppression capability to a system having a first device and a second device, comprising: using a radio frequency connection between the first device and the second device to determine a first angular direction from the first device to the second device; and using the determined first angular direction to emphasize, during a processing of a plurality of sounds received via use of a plurality of microphones of the first device, a first one of the plurality of sounds relative to a remainder of the plurality of sounds.
1. (Original) A non-transitory, computer-readable media having instructions stored thereon, the instructions, when executed by a far field voice detection device, causing the far field voice detection device to perform steps, comprising: using a radio frequency connection between the far field voice detection device and a further device to determine a first angular direction to the far field voice detection device from the further device; and using the determined first angular direction to deemphasize, during a noise processing of a plurality of sounds received via use of a plurality of microphones of the far field voice detection device, sound having an incoming angular direction to the far filed voice detection device that most closely corresponds to the determined first angular direction relative to a remainder of the plurality of sounds.
2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first angular direction from the first device to the second device is determined via use of an angle of arrival direction finding methodology.
2. (Original) The non-transitory, computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the first angular direction to the far field voice detection device from the further device is determined via use of an angle of arrival direction finding methodology.
3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first angular direction from the first device to the second device is determined via use of an angle of departure direction finding methodology.
3. (Original) The non-transitory, computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the first angular direction to the far field voice detection device from the further device is determined via use of an angle of departure direction finding methodology.
7. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein the second device comprises a television.
4. (Original) The non-transitory, computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the further device comprises a television.
9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first angular direction from the first device to the second device is caused to be determined in response to a powering on of the first device.
8. (Original) The non-transitory, computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the first angular direction to the far field voice detection device from the further device is caused to be determined in response to a powering on of the far field voice detection device.
10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first angular direction from the first device to the second device is caused to be periodically determined.
9. (Original) The non-transitory, computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the first angular direction to the far field voice detection device from the further device is caused to be periodically determined.
11. A method for providing noise suppression capability to a system having a first device and a second device, comprising: using a radio frequency connection between the first device and the second device to determine a first angular direction to the first device from the second device; and using the determined first angular direction to deemphasize, during a processing of a plurality of sounds received via use of a plurality of microphones of the first device, sound having an incoming angular direction to the first device that most closely corresponds to the determined first angular direction relative to a remainder of the plurality of sounds.
10. (Original) A far field voice detection device, comprising: a radio frequency receiver for providing a radio frequency connection between the far field voice detection device and a further device; a processing device; a plurality of microphones; and a memory having instructions stored thereon, the instructions, when executed by the processing device, causing the far field voice detection device to perform steps, comprising: using the radio frequency connection between the far field voice detection device and the further device to determine a first angular direction to the far field voice detection device from the further device; and using the determined first angular direction to deemphasize, during a noise processing of a plurality of sounds received via use of a plurality of microphones of the far field voice detection device, sound having an incoming angular direction to the far filed voice detection device that most closely corresponds to the determined first angular direction relative to a remainder of the plurality of sounds.
12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the first angular direction to the first device from the second device is determined via use of an angle of arrival direction finding methodology.
11. (Original) The far field voice detection device as recited in claim 10, wherein the first angular direction to the far field voice detection device from the further device is determined via use of an angle of arrival direction finding methodology.
13. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the first angular direction to the first device from the second device is determined via use of an angle of departure direction finding methodology.
12. (Original) The far field voice detection device as recited in claim 10, wherein the first angular direction to the far field voice detection device from the further device is determined via use of an angle of departure direction finding methodology.
14. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the second device comprises a television.
13. (Original) The far field voice detection device as recited in claim 10, wherein the further device comprises a television.
15. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the second device comprises an audio output device.
14. (Original) The far field voice detection device as recited in claim 10, wherein the further device comprises an audio output device.
16. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the sound having the incoming angular direction to the first device that most closely corresponds to the determined first angular direction is deemphasized by being ignored.
15. (Currently Amended) The far field voice detection device as recited in claim 10,wherein the sound having the incoming angular direction to the far filed voice detection device that most closely corresponds to the determined first angular direction is deemphasized by being ignored.
18. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the first angular direction to the first device from the second device is caused to be determined in response to a powering on of the first device.
17. (Original) The far field voice detection device as recited in claim 10, wherein the first angular direction to the far field voice detection device from the further device is caused to be determined in response to a powering on of the far field voice detection device.
19. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the first angular direction to the first device from the second device is caused to be periodically determined.
18. (Original) The far field voice detection device as recited in claim 10, wherein the first angular direction to the far field voice detection device from the further device is caused to be periodically determined.
Claim 1 of the pending application corresponds to claim 1 of patent, only difference being patentably indistinct pending application claim is broader than the patented claim and recites different statutory class of invention vs. patented claims. However, it is well understood in the art for a device to produce a method and vice versa. Therefore, given the method/CRM recited in the patented claim 1, it is considered that it would have been an obvious to one of ordinary skilled in the art before the effective filling date of the invention was made, to produce the method of instant claim 1 in order to perform the method contained on the CRM.
Similarly, Claims 2-3, 7, 9-10 corresponds to claims 2-4, 8-9 of patent, only difference being patentably indistinct pending application claims are broader than the patented claims and recites different statutory class of invention vs. patented claims.
Claim 11 of the pending application corresponds to claim 10 of patent, only difference being patentably indistinct pending application claim is broader than the patented claim and recites different statutory class of invention vs. patented claims. However, it is well understood in the art for a device to produce a method and vice versa. Therefore, given the device recited in the patented claim 10, it is considered that it would have been an obvious to one of ordinary skilled in the art before the effective filling date of the invention was made, to produce the method of instant claim 11 in order to perform the method contained on the device.
Similarly, Claims 12-16,18-19 corresponds to claims 11-15,17-18, of patent, only difference being patentably indistinct pending application claims are broader than the patented claims and recites different statutory class of invention vs. patented claims.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-19 would be allowable after receiving an approved TD.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Thomsen et al. (US 9830913 B2) teach: (Abstract) A microphone assembly includes an acoustic sensor and a voice activity detector on an integrated circuit coupled to an external-device interface. The acoustic sensor produces an electrical signal representative of acoustic energy detected by the sensor. A filter bank separates data representative of the acoustic energy into a plurality of frequency bands. A power tracker obtains a power estimate for at least one band, including a first estimate based on relatively fast changes in a power metric of the data and a second estimate based on relatively slow changes in a power metric of the data. The presence of voice activity in the electrical signal is based upon the power estimate.
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/MOHAMMAD K ISLAM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2656
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