CTNF 18/947,674 CTNF 78943 Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA. DETAILED ACTION Introduction This action responds to the application 18/947,647 filed on 11-14-2024. Claims 1-16 are pending. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 07-06 AIA 15-10-15 3. 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. 07-07-aia AIA 07-07 4. 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 – 07-08-aia AIA (a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. 07-12-aia AIA (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. 07-15-aia AIA 5. Claim s 1 and 8-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 a (1) as being anticipated by Nicholson et al. (US 2012/0140917) . Consider Claim 1, Nicholson teaches a computer-implemented method for acoustic echo cancellation(see fig. 2), comprising: receiving(see fig. 1(2)), by a near-end user device and from a far-end device(see fig. 1(4)), far-end audio; wirelessly transmitting, by the near-end user device and for receipt by a near-end speaker device that is physically separate from the near-end user device(see fig. 1(2)), the far-end audio for audible output by a speaker of the near-end speaker device(see fig. 1(4)); transmitting(see fig. 1(5)), by the near-end user device and for receipt by the near-end speaker device(see fig. 1(2)), an indication of a time(such as time domain, see fig. 3A and paragraph[0039]) at which the near-end speaker device is to audibly output the far-end audio; capturing, by a microphone of the near-end user device(see fig. 1(2), near-end audio that includes near-end user speech and an echoed version of the far-end audio that was audibly output by the speaker of the near-end speaker device; modifying(see figs. 2-5), by the near-end user device, the far-end audio to generate a filtered version of the far-end audio(see fig. 1,2 and paragraphs[0025]-[0027]), using: (i) a model(see fig. 2) of an acoustic echo path between the near-end speaker device and the near-end user device(see figs. 1-2 paragraphs [0038]-[0039]); and (ii) the indication of the time(such as time domain, see fig. 3A and paragraph[0039]) at which the near-end speaker device is to audibly output the far-end audio; combining(see fig. 2), by the near-end user device, the near-end audio captured by the microphone of the near-end user device with the filtered version of the far-end audio, to generate a filtered version of the near-end audio; and transmitting, by the near-end user device and for receipt by the far-end device, the filtered version of the near-end audio(see figs. 2-8 and paragraphs[0038]-[0045]). Consider Claims 8 and 9, Nicholson teaches the computer-implemented method of wherein modifying the far-end audio to generate the filtered version of the far-end audio comprises: aligning the far-end audio with the model of the acoustic echo path between the near-end speaker device and the near-end user device, using the indication of the time at which the near-end speaker device is to audibly output the far-end audio(see figs. 2-8 and paragraphs[0038]-[0045]); and the computer-implemented method wherein combining the near-end audio with the filtered version of the far-end audio to generate the filtered version of the near-end audio comprises: aligning the filtered version of the far-end audio with the near-end audio captured by the microphone of the near-end user device(see figs. 2-8 and paragraphs[0038]-[0045]). Consider Claims 10 and 11, Nicholson teaches the computer-implemented method wherein the model of the acoustic echo path comprises an adaptive filter(see figs. 2-8 and paragraphs[0038]-[0045]); and the computer-implemented method wherein combining the near-end audio with the filtered version of the far-end audio to generate the filtered version of the near-end audio comprises: subtracting the filtered version of the far-end audio from the near-end audio(see figs. 2-8 and paragraphs[0038]-[0045]). Consider Claims 12 and 13, Nicholson teaches the computer-implemented method wherein the time at which the near-end speaker device is to audibly output the far-end audio comprises a starting time at which the near-end speaker device is to begin audibly outputting the far-end audio(see figs. 2-8 and paragraphs[0038]-[0045]); and the computer-implemented method wherein: the far-end audio that is received by the near-end user device comprises a digitally-encoded representation of the far-end audio; and the filtered version of the near-end audio that is transmitted for receipt by the far-end device comprises a digitally-encoded representation of the filtered version of the near-end audio(see figs. 2-8 and paragraphs[0038]-[0045]). Consider Claims 14 and 15, Nicholson teaches the computer-implemented method wherein the near-end user device transmits the indication of the time at which the near-end speaker device is to audibly output the far-end audio during a configuration process, before the near-end user device wirelessly transmitting the far-end audio for receipt by the near-end speaker device(see figs. 1-5 and paragraphs[0025]-[0036]); and the computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the far-end audio was captured by a microphone of the far-end device(see figs. 1-5 and paragraphs[0025]-[0030]). Consider Claim 16, Nicholson teaches a near-end user device(see fig. 1), comprising: one or more processing devices; and one or more computer-readable devices encoding instructions that, when executed by the one or more processing devices, causes the near-end user device to perform operations(see fig. 2 and paragraph[0063]) that comprise: receiving(see fig. 1(2)), by a near-end user device and from a far-end device(see fig. 1(4)), far-end audio; wirelessly transmitting, by the near-end user device and for receipt by a near-end speaker device that is physically separate from the near-end user device(see fig. 1(2)), the far-end audio for audible output by a speaker of the near-end speaker device(see fig. 1(4)); transmitting(see fig. 1(5)), by the near-end user device and for receipt by the near-end speaker device(see fig. 1(2)), an indication of a time(such as time domain, see fig. 3A and paragraph[0039]) at which the near-end speaker device is to audibly output the far-end audio; capturing, by a microphone of the near-end user device(see fig. 1(2), near-end audio that includes near-end user speech and an echoed version of the far-end audio that was audibly output by the speaker of the near-end speaker device; modifying(see figs. 2-5), by the near-end user device, the far-end audio to generate a filtered version of the far-end audio(see fig. 1,2 and paragraphs[0025]-[0027]), using: (i) a model(see fig. 2) of an acoustic echo path between the near-end speaker device and the near-end user device(see figs. 1-2 paragraphs [0038]-[0039]); and (ii) the indication of the time(such as time domain, see fig. 3A and paragraph[0039]) at which the near-end speaker device is to audibly output the far-end audio; combining(see fig. 2), by the near-end user device, the near-end audio captured by the microphone of the near-end user device with the filtered version of the far-end audio, to generate a filtered version of the near-end audio; and transmitting, by the near-end user device and for receipt by the far-end device, the filtered version of the near-end audio(see figs. 2-8 and paragraphs[0038]-[0045]) . Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 07-06 AIA 15-10-15 6. 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. 07-20-aia AIA 7. 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. 07-103 AIA 8. The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action. 9. Claims 2-6 are rejected under35 U.S.C. 103 a as being unpatentable over Nicholson et al. (US 2012/0140917) in view of Chu et al. (US 2011/0069830). Consider Claim 2, Nicholson does not explicitly teach the computer-implemented method wherein: the indication of the time at which the near-end speaker device is to audibly output the far-end audio comprises an indication of a time delay. However, Chu teaches the computer-implemented method wherein: the indication of the time at which the near-end speaker device is to audibly output the far-end audio comprises an indication of a time delay(see figs. 2-6 and paragraphs[0021]-[0027]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention was made to combine the teaching of Chu into the teaching of Nicholson to provide audio from a near-end that has been acoustically coupled at the far-end and returned to the near-end unit is detected and suppressed at the near-end of a conference. First and second energy outputs for separate bands are determined for the near-end audio being sent from the near-end unit and for the far-end audio being received at the near-end unit. The near-end unit compares the first and second energy outputs to one another for each of the bands over a time delay range and detects the return of the sent near-end audio in the received far-end audio based on the comparison. The comparison can use a cross-correlation to find an estimated time delay used for further analysis of the near and far- end energies. The near-end unit suppresses any detected return by muting or reducing what far-end audio is output at its loudspeaker. Consider Claims 3 and 4, Nicholson as modified by Chu teaches the computer-implemented method wherein: the indication of the time delay comprises a delay that the near-end speaker device is to impose from (i) a common reference time recognized by each of the near-end user device and the near-end speaker device; and (ii) the time at which the near-end speaker device is to audibly output the far-end audio(In Chu, see figs. 2-6 and paragraphs[0028]-[0031]); and the computer-implemented method wherein: the indication of the time delay comprises (i) an indication of a first time delay from the common reference time to a synchronization time, and (ii) an indication of a second time delay from the synchronization time to the time at which the near-end speaker device is to audibly output the far-end audio ( In Chu, see figs. 2-6 and paragraphs[0028]-[0036]).. Consider Claims 5 and 6, Nicholson as modified by Chu teaches the computer-implemented method comprising: receiving, by the near-end user device and from the near-end speaker device, an indication of a range of acceptable values for the second time delay from the synchronization time to the time at which the near-end speaker device is to audibly output the far-end audio; and determining, by the near-end user device, the second time delay from among the range of acceptable values for the second time delay( In Chu, see figs. 2-6 and paragraphs[0028]-[0036]); and the computer-implemented method wherein: the common reference time comprises a time at which the near-end user device begins wirelessly transmitting data that encodes the far-end audio(see figs. 1-2 paragraphs [0038]-[0039]). 10 Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Nicholson et al. (US 2012/0140917) as modified by Chu et al. (US 2011/0069830) as applied to claim 1, 6 above, and further in view of Yan (US PAT. 11,240,586). Consider Claim 7, Nicholson does not explicitly teach the computer-implemented method wherein: the common reference time comprises an anchor point of a Bluetooth Low Energy communication session. However, Yan teaches the computer-implemented method wherein: the common reference time comprises an anchor point of a Bluetooth Low Energy communication session (see figs. 1A-6 and col. 13, line2-col. 14, line 67]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention was made to combine the teaching of Yan into the teaching of Nicholson and Chu to provide apparatus and device for synchronously playing audio are provided. The method includes: acquiring status information of a Bluetooth controller in the first audio playing device, and determining native Bluetooth time of the first audio playing device based on the status information; estimating, based on the native Bluetooth time of the first audio playing device and offset data of the native Bluetooth time of the first audio playing device relative to native Bluetooth time of a second audio playing device or native Bluetooth time of an audio providing device, absolute time of the second audio playing device or absolute time of the audio providing device; and playing an audio signal provided by the audio providing device synchronously with the second audio playing device based on the estimated absolute time. Conclusion 07-96 AIA 11. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure. Shah et al.(US 2017/0208391) is cited to show other related the Acoustic Echo Cancellation Using a Wireless Speaker . 12. Any response to this action should be mailed to: Mail Stop ____(explanation, e.g., Amendment or After-final, etc.) Commissioner for Patents P.O. Box 1450 Alexandria, VA 22313-1450 Facsimile responses should be faxed to: (571) 273-8300 Hand-delivered responses should be brought to: Customer Service Window Randolph Building 401 Dulany Street Alexandria, VA 22314 Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Lao,Lun-See whose telephone number is (571) 272-7501 The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday from 8:00 to 5:30. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor, Nguyen Duc M(SPE), can be reached on (571) 272-7503. Any inquiry of a general nature or relating to the status of this application or proceeding should be directed to the Technology Center 2600 whose telephone number is (571) 272-2600. /LUN-SEE LAO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2691 US Patent and Trademark Office Knox 571-272-7501 Date 05-12-2026 Application/Control Number: 18/947,674 Page 2 Art Unit: 2691 Application/Control Number: 18/947,674 Page 3 Art Unit: 2691 Application/Control Number: 18/947,674 Page 4 Art Unit: 2691 Application/Control Number: 18/947,674 Page 5 Art Unit: 2691 Application/Control Number: 18/947,674 Page 6 Art Unit: 2691 Application/Control Number: 18/947,674 Page 7 Art Unit: 2691 Application/Control Number: 18/947,674 Page 8 Art Unit: 2691 Application/Control Number: 18/947,674 Page 9 Art Unit: 2691
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