DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
In the response to this office action, the Examiner respectfully requests that support be shown for language added to any original claims on amendment and any new claims. That is, indicate support for newly added claim language by specifically pointing to page(s) and line numbers in the specification and/or drawing figure(s). This will assist the Examiner in prosecuting this application.
Specification
The application specification failed to provide antecedent basis for the claimed limitation “widths of directivity of the plurality of frequency components” in claim 1 and wherein the application specification reads “it is possible to desirably set the width of the directivity for each frequency band” by “varying the range in which the speakers 122 are disposed and the number of the speakers 122 for each frequency band (USPGPub 20250240569 A1, para 48)” and “it is possible to simultaneously adjust the width of the directivity and the output level for each frequency component”, i.e., “width of the directivity of the plurality of frequency components” is merely set or adjusted, other than claimed “in accordance with” for “input … frequency components to the one or more of … speakers” and there is no disclosure in the specification to support claimed “the speaker driver is configured to input the plurality of frequency components to the one or more of the plurality of speakers in accordance with widths of directivity of the plurality of frequency components” as recited in claim 1.
The application specification failed to provide antecedent basis for the claimed limitation “an output sound generator configured to output a sound to be output”, but the specification reads “The audio sound output part 110 is configured to output audio sound signals to be emitted to a plurality of listeners (USPGPub 20250240569 A1, para 31)”, other than claimed “output a sound” and then “a sound to be output” and the specification further reads “Note that the output sound generator and the speaker driver are each an electronic circuit, such as a central processing unit CPU, a field programmable gate array FPGA, an application specific integrated circuit ASIC, or the like (para 30)”. It is well-known in the art that word “sound” is a type of acoustic wave transmitted in the air and generated or emitted by speakers, loudspeakers, or transducers into the air, while audio signal representing sound signal is processed by “electronic circuit” and transmitted between “electronic circuits” that would not be able to process and transmit “sound”.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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)(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..
(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.
Claims 1-3, are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hooley et al. (US 20040151325 A1, hereinafter Hooley).
Claim 1: Hooley teaches a speaker system (title and abstract, ln 1-19, an apparatus in fig. 15), comprising:
an output sound generator (101 in figs. 14-15 or equivalent to an input terminal 1514 in fig. 6, para 142) configured to output a sound to be output (sound signal outputted to a lowpass filter3401/3501 and a high pass filter 3402/3502 in figs. 14/15, respectively);
a speaker array (1st/2nd sets of transducers in fig. 4 and a set of the output transducers 3505 in fig. 15, e.g., a two-dimensional array 105 in figs. 2-3 and figs. 16-17) that includes a plurality of speakers (output transducers 104, para 102, and the output transducers 3404/3405 in fig. 14, para 192, and 3505 in fig. 15, para 193); and
a speaker driver (including the low-pass filter 3401/3501, high pass filter 3402/3502, distributors 3403/3503, 3507 in figs. 14/15, respectively and three adders in fig. 15) configured to extract a plurality of frequency components having different frequencies from the sound that is output from the output sound generator (low frequency component outputted from the low-pass filter 3401/3501 and high frequency component outputted from high pass filter 3402/3502, as the different frequency components, respectively in figs. 14/15), and selectively drive one or more of the plurality of speakers (the transducers 3506 and other transducers than 3506 in the transducer set 3505 are selectively driven with different frequency components, respectively, para 193 and similar to driving transducers 3404 and 3405 with low and high frequency components, respectively in fig. 4, para 192) in accordance with signals of the plurality of frequency components (discussed above as to figs. 14/15 and para 192-193), wherein
the speaker driver is configured to input the plurality of frequency components to the one or more of the plurality of speakers (the transducers 3506 with at least high frequency component and the transducers, other than the transducers 3506 in the set of transducers 3505, with the low frequency component in fig. 15, and similarly, the transducers 3404/3405 driven with the low frequency component and the high frequency component, respectively in fig. 14) in accordance with widths of directivity of the plurality of frequency components (in accordance with an arrangement of the low frequency transducers around the high frequency transducers in fig. 14, para 194, and fig. 17, para 198, and similarly, the transducer arrangement for fig. 15, triangle transducer with high frequency component and around by larger area of square transducers in fig. 16, para 198, the high frequency transducers has less front-directivity area than that of the low frequency transducers in figs. 16, para 196, and fig. 17, para greater front-direction width of square shaped transducers than that of triangle shaped transducer set having smaller front-direction in fig. 16, para 198).
Claim 2: Hooley further taches, according to claim 1 above, wherein the frequency components that have a high frequency correspond to one or more of the speakers disposed in a narrow range (the triangle-shaped transducers disposed at a narrow center range, i.e., smaller front directivity area, i.e., a narrow range, in fig. 16 and outputting the high frequency component in fig. 16, para 196), and the frequency components that have a low frequency correspond to two or more of the speakers disposed in a wide range (the square-shaped transducers disposed around the center area and covering wider front directivity area, i.e., a wide range in fig. 16, and outputting the low frequency component in fig. 16, para 196).
Claim 3: Hooley further teaches, according to claim 2 above, wherein the frequency components that have a high frequency correspond to a first number of the speakers disposed in the narrow range (e.g., 9 transducers represented by the triangle shaped transducers in fig. 16 and driven by at least high frequency component, para 196 or 36 transducers disposed at the center area in fig. 17, para 198), and the frequency components that have a low frequency correspond to a second number of the speakers disposed in the wide range (the 72 square shaped transducers, occupied on the larger front-directivity area in figs. 16-17 and driven by low frequency component, compared to the center area in figs. 16-17, para 196-198), the second number being greater than the first number (discussed above, e.g., 72 low frequency component transducers while 9 high frequency component transducers and driven by the high frequency component and discussed above).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 of this title, 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 4-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hooley (above).
Claim 4: Hooley in the first embodiments (figs. 14, 15 and discussed in claim 1 above) further teaches, according to claim 1 above, a gain application (amplifiers, similar to amplifier 103 in fig. 1, and represented by triangle shape in figs. 14, 15, for each of transducers) configured to apply an output level of the speaker array with the plurality of frequency components (the amplifiers applied to audio signals outputted from the distributors 3401/3501 for low frequency components, and the amplifiers applied to audio signals outputted from the distributors 3403/3507 for high frequency components in figs. 14, 15, and discussed in claim 1 above), except explicitly teaching wherein the gain application is an adjuster to adjust an output level of the speaker array in accordance with at least a part of the plurality of frequency components.
Hooley in another embodiment teaches a speaker system (figs. 4, 13) and wherein a gain adjuster is disclosed (through a gain/volume control input 1004 in fig. 4 or via digital filters ADF with a varying magnitude response as a function of frequency, para 95 to control pattern of sound radiation or sound field, para 95) and configured to adjust an output level of the speaker array (output level is adjusted for a SET or a group of SETs 1005, para 139) in accordance with at least a part of the plurality of frequency components (the gain adjusted in accordance with a part of the frequency components by individually amplitude-controlled for each of the N higher frequency transducers while maintaining the same level for all low frequency transducers, para 190 or in an optimal manner to obtain output level by amplitude weighting through the digital filter ADF based on low frequency para 95) for benefits of improving the performance of sound field generation (by allowing anti-beaming or nulling of the higher frequency component without global far-field nulling of the low frequencies, para 190, and obtaining desired sound field pattern, para 95).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have applied the gain adjuster configured to adjust the output level of the speaker array in accordance with at least the part of the plurality of frequency components, as taught by Hooley in another embodiment above, the gain application configured to apply the output level of the speaker array with the plurality of frequency components in the speaker system, as taught by Hooley in the first embodiment above.
Claim 5: Hooley further teaches, according to claim 1 above, wherein the speakers are same in number for each of the plurality of frequency components (Fig. 14, a first set of low frequency transducers 3404 and a second set of high frequency transducers 3405 and they are equal in numbers in fig. 14, para 192 or another embodiment in fig. 13, the SETs 104 equally accept both the low frequency component and the high frequency component in fig. 13).
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hooley (above) and in view of reference Goudie et al. (US 20050041530 A1, hereinafter Goudie).
Claim 6: Hooley further teaches, according to claim 5 above, wherein the frequency components that have the high frequency correspond to the number of speakers disposed in a narrow range (triangle transducers as high frequency transducers, para 195, and has a narrow range arrangement in fig. 16, and the number of high-dense smaller square transducers, i.e., a narrow range compared to the arrangement of larger square transducers in fig. 17), and the frequency components that have a low frequency correspond to the number of speakers disposed in a wide range (the number of square transducers as low frequency transducers in fig. 16, para 195, and the number of larger square transducers as low frequency transducers in fig. 17, para ), except explicitly teaching wherein the number of the high frequency speakers disposed in a narrow range is equal to the number of the low frequency speakers disposed in a wide range.
Goudie teaches an analogous field of endeavor by disclosing a speaker system (title and abstract, ln 1-6 and fig. 2) and wherein the number of the high frequency speakers disposed in a narrow range (smaller diameter transducers with higher frequency component by removing out low frequency component and distributed on rings 911-1 - 911-5 in fig. 9A) is greater than the number of the low frequency speakers disposed in a wide range (larger diameter transducers with low frequency components by removing out high frequency component and distributed on ring 911-6 – 911-7) for benefits of achieving an efficient operation of speaker system (by enhancing the steering beams of broadband signal with minimized operation in mechanic and electronic component requirement, para 7, and by significantly reducing the number of transducers required to generate a steerable broadband signal beam, para 80). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have applied wherein the number of the high frequency speakers disposed in a narrow range is equal to greater than the number of the low frequency speakers disposed in a wide range, as taught by Goudie, for the benefits discussed above.
However, the combination of Hooley and Goudie does not explicitly teach wherein the number of the high frequency speakers disposed in a narrow range is equal to the number of the low frequency speakers disposed in a wide range.
It has been a recognized problem and need in the art, which may include a design need to solve the problem for obtaining a desired sound directivity, specifically at low frequency range, by using efficient number of output speakers and there had been a finite number of identified, predictable potential solutions to the speaker system:
1. the number of the high frequency speakers disposed in a narrow range is greater than the number of the low frequency speakers disposed in a wide range for minimizing the cost by reducing the number of speakers and improving directivity at low frequency range (e.g., Goudie’s disclosure above and para 104),
2. the number of the high frequency speakers disposed in a narrow range is less than the number of the low frequency speakers disposed in a wide range for satisfying different needs in directivity to be achieved (Hooley, e.g., less directivity is required, para 181, or efficient number of output transducers for obtaining desired directivity, para 42),
3. the number of the high frequency speakers disposed in a narrow range is equal to the number of the low frequency speakers disposed in a wide range for balancing between the improvement of directivity at low frequency range and flexible directivity requirement above.
it would have been obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have pursued the known potential solutions with a reasonable expectation of success or obvious to try, see MPEP 2141, III.
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have applied the number of the high frequency speakers disposed in the narrow range being equal to the number of the low frequency speakers disposed in the wide range, as taught by obvious to try above, to the number of the high frequency speakers disposed in the narrow range and the number of the low frequency speakers disposed in the wide range in the speaker system, as taught by the combination of Hooley and Goudie, for the benefits discussed above.
Conclusion
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/LESHUI ZHANG/
Primary Examiner,
Art Unit 2695
Prosecution Insights