DETAILED ACTION
Claims 1-7 of the instant application are pending and have been examined.
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 01/16/2025 was filed. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Interpretation
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(f) Element in Claim for a Combination. – An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The claims in this application are given their broadest reasonable interpretation using the plain meaning of the claim language in light of the specification as it would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. The broadest reasonable interpretation of a claim element (also commonly referred to as a claim limitation) is limited by the description in the specification when 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is invoked.
As explained in MPEP § 2181, subsection I, claim limitations that meet the following three-prong test will be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
(A) the claim limitation uses the term “means” or “step” or a term used as a substitute for “means” that is a generic placeholder (also called a nonce term or a non-structural term having no specific structural meaning) for performing the claimed function;
(B) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is modified by functional language, typically, but not always linked by the transition word “for” (e.g., “means for”) or another linking word or phrase, such as “configured to” or “so that”; and
(C) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is not modified by sufficient structure, material, or acts for performing the claimed function.
Use of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim with functional language creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites sufficient structure, material, or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Absence of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is not to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is not interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites function without reciting sufficient structure, material or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Claim limitations in this application that use the word “means” (or “step”) are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action. Conversely, claim limitations in this application that do not use the word “means” (or “step”) are not being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action.
This application includes one or more claim limitations that do not use the word “means,” but are nonetheless being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because the claim limitation(s) uses a generic placeholder that is coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure to perform the recited function and the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier. Such claim limitation(s) is/are:
“an acquisition unit” in claims 1 and 5-6
“a voice recognizing unit” in claims 1 and 5-6
“a display unit” claims 1 and 5-6
“a processing unit” in claim 1-6
“a communication unit” in claim 5
“vibration unit” in claim 4
The Examiner notes that:
regarding the limitation(s) of “an acquisition unit,” “a voice recognizing unit,” “a display unit,” “a processing unit,” “a communication unit,” and “a vibration unit” in one or more of claims 1 and/or 4-6, these seem like mere functional descriptions. Further, the limitation(s) are modified by functional language of “configured to…” or “to…” but these are not modified by a sufficient structure for performing the claimed function.
Additionally, the Examiner notes that the limitations are embodied as managed by a processor, as per the as filed Specification page 14, line 18 – page 15, line 8 and Fig. 6.
Because this/these claim limitation(s) is/are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, it/they is/are being interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification as performing the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
If applicant does not intend to have this/these limitation(s) interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, applicant may: (1) amend the claim limitation(s) to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph (e.g., by reciting sufficient structure to perform the claimed function); or (2) present a sufficient showing that the claim limitation(s) recite(s) sufficient structure to perform the claimed function so as to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.
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.
Claim(s) 1 and 5-7 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to an abstract idea without significantly more. More specifically directed to the abstract idea grouping of: mental process and/or certain methods of organizing human activity.
The independent claim(s) 1 and 6-7 recite(s):
1. A voice display device comprising:
an acquisition unit configured to acquire a voice signal;
a voice recognizing unit configured to recognize the acquired voice signal;
a display unit configured to display a voice recognition result; and
a processing unit configured to start an application for displaying the voice recognition result of the voice signal including a wake word when the wake word is acquired and to cause the display unit to display the voice recognition result of the voice
signal including the wake word.
6. A voice display method comprising:
causing an acquisition unit to acquire a voice signal;
causing a voice recognizing unit to recognize the acquired voice signal;
causing a display unit to display a voice recognition result; and
causing a processing unit to start an application for displaying the voice recognition result of the voice signal including a wake word when the wake word is acquired and to cause the display unit to display the voice recognition result of the voice signal including the wake word.
7. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program causing a computer of a voice display device to perform:
acquiring a voice signal;
recognizing the acquired voice signal;
displaying a voice recognition result; and
starting an application for displaying the voice recognition result of the voice signal including a wake word when the wake word is acquired and displaying the voice recognition result of the voice signal including the wake word.
This reads on a human (e.g., mentally and/or using pen and paper):
Receiving speech/voice from another human;
Recognizing said speech/voice;
Writing down the recognized speech/voice (e.g., transcription);
Writing down on a piece of paper for display: the recognized speech/voice including a predefined word (i.e., wake word) and additional (transcribed) text.
The independent claim(s) 5 recite(s):
5. A voice display system comprising:
a voice display device; and
an information processing device,
wherein the voice display device includes an acquisition unit configured to acquire a voice signal, a voice recognizing unit configured to recognize the acquired voice signal,
a communication unit configured to transmit a voice recognition result to the information processing device and to receive a detection result of a wake word from the information processing device,
a display unit configured to display the voice recognition result, and
a processing unit configured to start an application for displaying the voice recognition result of a voice signal including a wake word when the wake word is acquired and to cause the display unit to display the voice recognition result of the voice signal including the wake word, and
wherein the information processing device includes an information processing device processing unit configured to receive the voice recognition result from the voice display device, to determine whether the wake word is included in the voice recognition result, and to transmit information indicating that the wake word is included and a phrase including the wake word to the voice display device when the wake word is included in the voice recognition result.
This reads on a human (e.g., mentally and/or using pen and paper):
Receiving speech/voice from another human;
Recognizing said speech/voice;
Writing down the recognized speech/voice (e.g., transcription);
Writing down on a piece of paper for display: the recognized speech/voice including a predefined word (i.e., wake word) and additional (transcribed) text;
Wherein the process to recognize the speech/voice includes determining whether there is a wake word in the recognized speech/voice and indicate (e.g., by writing it down and sending to another human).
This judicial exception is not integrated into a practical application because for example: claim 1 recites “voice display device,” “an acquisition unit ,” “a voice recognizing unit,” “a display unit ,” “a processing unit”; similarly, claim 5 recites “voice display system,” “a voice display device,” “an information processing device,” “an acquisition unit ,” “a voice recognizing unit,” “a display unit ,” “a processing unit,”; claim 6 recites “an acquisition unit ,” “a voice recognizing unit,” “a display unit ,” “a processing unit”; and claim 7 recites “non-transitory computer-readable storage medium.” As an example, in page 18, line 21 – page 19, line 5 of the as filed specification, it is disclosed: The "computer system" mentioned herein includes an operating system (OS) or hardware such as peripherals. The "computer system" may include a WWW system including a homepage provision environment (or a homepage display environment). The "computer-readable recording medium" is a portable medium such as a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disc, a ROM, or a CD-ROM or a storage device such as a hard disk incorporated into a computer system. The "computer-readable recording medium" may include a medium that holds a program for a predetermined time such as a volatile memory (RAM) in a computer system serving as a server or a client when the program is transmitted via a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line. Therefore, a general-purpose computer or computing device is described and mainly used as an application thereof. Accordingly, these additional elements do not integrate the abstract idea into a practical idea because it does not impose any meaningful limits on practicing the abstract idea.
The claim(s) does/do not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception. As discussed above with respect to the integration of the abstract idea into a practical application, the additional elements of using a computer is listed as a general computing device as noted. The claim is not patent eligible.
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, 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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1 and 5-7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Golikov et al. (US 20230041517 A1) further in view of Sharifi et al. (US 20220093104 A1).
As to independent claim 1, Golikov et al. teaches:
1. A voice display device (see ¶ [0033]: “FIG. 3A depicts an example of client device, a user providing a hot-word free spoken utterance, and activated on-device speech recognition causing a streaming transcription of the spoken utterance to be rendered on a display of the client device.”) comprising:
an acquisition unit configured to acquire a voice signal (see ¶ [0067]: “…Speech capture engine 172 can be configured to capture user’s speech and/or other audio data captured via microphone(s) 165…”);
a voice recognizing unit configured to recognize the acquired voice signal (see ¶ [0050]: “…the on-device speech recognition engine 120 processes audio data 110 using an on-device speech recognition model (not illustrated in FIG. 1A for simplicity) to determine recognized text 125 in a spoken utterance (if any) captured by the audio data 110…”);
a display unit configured to display a voice recognition result (see Fig. 3A and ¶ [0087]: “FIG. 3A depicts an example of client device 360, a user 302 providing a hot-word free spoken utterance 302A of “Turn on light 1”, and activated on-device speech recognition causing a streaming transcription 362 of the spoken utterance 302A to be rendered on a display 369 of the client device 360…”); and
However, Golikov et al. does not explicitly teach, but Sharifi et al. does teach:
a processing unit configured to start an application for displaying the voice recognition result of the voice signal including a wake word when the wake word is acquired and to cause the display unit to display the voice recognition result of the voice signal including the wake word (see Fig. 2 (216) and ¶ [0035]: “FIG. 2 shows an example user device 200 capturing a speech input 104, collecting information/data from one or more of the plurality of sources 220, 220a-n, and generating content metadata 110 associated with the speech input 104 for inclusion in an ASR request 102 sent to the QoS manager 300. The user device 200 includes a screen 212 and executes a graphical user interface 214 for display on the screen 212. As shown in FIG. 2, the speech input 104 corresponds to a hotword (“Hey Google”) and following voice query directed to the user device 200, e.g., a calendar application 220e executing on the user device 200, to add an event (Skip Fikany's birthday) on a given day (December 8.sup.th) to the calendar application 200e. In some implementations, the user device 200 presents a transcription of the speech input 104 in a voice search/command window 216 displayed in the graphical user interface 214.”).
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Golikov et al. and Sharifi et al. are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because they are in the same field of endeavor in speech processing. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Golikov et al. to incorporate the teachings of Sharifi et al. a processing unit configured to start an application for displaying the voice recognition result of the voice signal including a wake word when the wake word is acquired and to cause the display unit to display the voice recognition result of the voice signal including the wake word which provides the benefit of providing a method to improve the processing of a large volume of speech recognition requests ([0008] of Sharifi et al.).
As to independent claim 6, Golikov et al. further teaches:
6. A voice display method (see ¶ [0033] citation as in claim 1, above and further ¶ [0105]: “In some implementations, a method is provided that is performed by an automated assistant application of a client device using one or more processors of the client device. The method includes determining to activate on-device speech recognition in response to determining satisfaction of one or more conditions…”) comprising:
causing an acquisition unit to acquire a voice signal (see ¶ [0067] citation as in claim 1, above.);
causing a voice recognizing unit to recognize the acquired voice signal (see ¶ [0050] citation as in claim 1, above.);
causing a display unit to display a voice recognition result (see Fig. 3A and ¶ [0098] citations as in claim 1, above.); and
Sharifi et al. further teaches:
causing a processing unit to start an application for displaying the voice recognition result of the voice signal including a wake word when the wake word is acquired and to cause the display unit to display the voice recognition result of the voice signal including the wake word (see Fig. 2 (216) and ¶ [0035] citations as in claim 1, above.).
Golikov et al. and Sharifi et al. are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because they are in the same field of endeavor in speech processing. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Golikov et al. to incorporate the teachings of Sharifi et al. causing a processing unit to start an application for displaying the voice recognition result of the voice signal including a wake word when the wake word is acquired and to cause the display unit to display the voice recognition result of the voice signal including the wake word which provides the benefit of providing a method to improve the processing of a large volume of speech recognition requests ([0008] of Sharifi et al.).
As to independent claim 7, Golikov et al. further teaches:
7. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program (see ¶ [0035 and 0105] citations as in claims 1 and 6, above and further ¶ [0029]: “…Some implementations also include one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media storing computer instructions executable by one or more processors to perform any of the methods described herein.”) causing a computer of a voice display device to perform:
acquiring a voice signal (see ¶ [0067] citation as in claim 1, above.);
recognizing the acquired voice signal (see ¶ [0050] citation as in claim 1, above.);
displaying a voice recognition result (see Fig. 3A and ¶ [0098] citations as in claim 1, above.); and
Sharifi et al. further teaches:
starting an application for displaying the voice recognition result of the voice signal including a wake word when the wake word is acquired and displaying the voice recognition result of the voice signal including the wake word (see Fig. 2 (216) and ¶ [0035] citations as in claim 1, above.).
Golikov et al. and Sharifi et al. are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because they are in the same field of endeavor in speech processing. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Golikov et al. to incorporate the teachings of Sharifi et al. starting an application for displaying the voice recognition result of the voice signal including a wake word when the wake word is acquired and displaying the voice recognition result of the voice signal including the wake word which provides the benefit of providing a method to improve the processing of a large volume of speech recognition requests ([0008] of Sharifi et al.).
As to independent claim 5, Golikov et al. further teaches:
5. A voice display system (see ¶ [0033]: “FIG. 3A depicts an example of client device, a user providing a hot-word free spoken utterance, and activated on-device speech recognition causing a streaming transcription of the spoken utterance to be rendered on a display of the client device.”) comprising:
a voice display device (see ¶ [0033]: “FIG. 3A depicts an example of client device, a user providing a hot-word free spoken utterance, and activated on-device speech recognition causing a streaming transcription of the spoken utterance to be rendered on a display of the client device.”); and
an information processing device (see ¶ [0006]: “…In various implementations, remote speech processing, remote NLU, and/or remote fulfillment can at least selectively be utilized. For example, recognized text can at least selectively be transmitted to remote automated assistant component(s) for remote NLU and/or remote fulfillment… However, on-device speech processing, on-device NLU, on-device fulfillment, and/or on-device execution can be prioritized at least due to the latency reductions they provide when resolving a spoken utterance (due to no client-server roundtrip(s) being needed to resolve the spoken utterance). ”),
wherein the voice display device includes an acquisition unit configured to acquire a voice signal, a voice recognizing unit configured to recognize the acquired voice signal (see ¶ [0067]: “…Speech capture engine 172 can be configured to capture user’s speech and/or other audio data captured via microphone(s) 165…”),
a display unit configured to display the voice recognition result (see Fig. 3A and ¶ [0087]: “FIG. 3A depicts an example of client device 360, a user 302 providing a hot-word free spoken utterance 302A of “Turn on light 1”, and activated on-device speech recognition causing a streaming transcription 362 of the spoken utterance 302A to be rendered on a display 369 of the client device 360…”), and
Sharifi et al. further teach:
a communication unit configured to transmit a voice recognition result to the information processing device and to receive a detection result of a wake word from the information processing device (see ¶ [0004]: “…after a voice enabled device wakes up by detecting the presence of the hotword in an utterance of speech (e.g., input audio), the voice enabled device sends the hotword and one or more other terms following the hotword over a network to a server-based processing stack (also referred to as a query processing backend) that includes at least an automated speech recognizer (ASR) configured to process the hotword and/or any other terms following the hotword…”),
a processing unit configured to start an application for displaying the voice recognition result of a voice signal including a wake word when the wake word is acquired and to cause the display unit to display the voice recognition result of the voice signal including the wake word (see ¶ [0004] citation as in limitation above and further ¶ [0004]: “…the ASR may treat the received audio as an ASR request and transcribe the hotword and/or other terms following the hotword into corresponding text. The text may be provided to an interpretation layer to determine a voice query specified by the input audio and provide the query to an appropriate component to perform an action related to the query. Accordingly, when a user of a voice enabled device utters the following speech: “Hey Google, what restaurants are still open right now?”, the voice enabled device may wake-up in response to detecting a hotword (“Hey Google”), and provide the terms following the hotword that correspond to a voice query (“what nearby restaurants are still open right now?”) to the server-based processing stack for processing. In this example, the ASR of the server-based processing stack would transcribe the voice query into corresponding text, the interpretation layer would determine that a search for hours of operation of nearby restaurants is needed, and a search engine would obtain a list of search results containing nearby restaurants that are currently open. The search results could be provided back to the voice enabled device for display or audible output…”), and
wherein the information processing device includes an information processing device processing unit configured to receive the voice recognition result from the voice display device (see ¶ [0004] citation as in limitation(s) above: “…voice enabled device sends the hotword and one or more other terms following the hotword over a network to a server-based processing stack (also referred to as a query processing backend) that includes at least an automated speech recognizer (ASR) configured to process the hotword and/or any other terms following the hotword…”),
to determine whether the wake word is included in the voice recognition result (see ¶ [0004] citation as in limitation(s) above: “Hey, Google…”) , and
to transmit information indicating that the wake word is included and a phrase including the wake word to the voice display device when the wake word is included in the voice recognition result (see ¶ [0004] citation as in limitation(s) above and further Fig. 2 (216) and ¶ [0035]: “FIG. 2 shows an example user device 200 capturing a speech input 104, collecting information/data from one or more of the plurality of sources 220, 220a-n, and generating content metadata 110 associated with the speech input 104 for inclusion in an ASR request 102 sent to the QoS manager 300. The user device 200 includes a screen 212 and executes a graphical user interface 214 for display on the screen 212. As shown in FIG. 2, the speech input 104 corresponds to a hotword (“Hey Google”) and following voice query directed to the user device 200, e.g., a calendar application 220e executing on the user device 200, to add an event (Skip Fikany's birthday) on a given day (December 8.sup.th) to the calendar application 200e. In some implementations, the user device 200 presents a transcription of the speech input 104 in a voice search/command window 216 displayed in the graphical user interface 214.”).
Golikov et al. and Sharifi et al. are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because they are in the same field of endeavor in speech processing. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Golikov et al. to incorporate the teachings of Sharifi et al. of a communication unit configured to transmit a voice recognition result to the information processing device and to receive a detection result of a wake word from the information processing device, a processing unit configured to start an application for displaying the voice recognition result of a voice signal including a wake word when the wake word is acquired and to cause the display unit to display the voice recognition result of the voice signal including the wake word, and wherein the information processing device includes an information processing device processing unit configured to receive the voice recognition result from the voice display device, to determine whether the wake word is included in the voice recognition result, and to transmit information indicating that the wake word is included and a phrase including the wake word to the voice display device when the wake word is included in the voice recognition result which provides the benefit of providing a method to improve the processing of a large volume of speech recognition requests ([0008] of Sharifi et al.).
Claims 2-3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Golikov et al. (US 20230041517 A1) further in view of Sharifi et al. (US 20220093104 A1) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Hutto et al. (US 20240163390 A1).
Regarding claim 2, Golikov et al. in combination with Sharifi et al. teaches the limitations as in claim 1, above.
Sharifi et al. further teaches:
2. The voice display device according to claim 1,
wherein the application displays the voice recognition result of the voice signal including the wake word on a first screen image (see Fig. 2 (216) and ¶ [0035]: “FIG. 2 shows an example user device 200 capturing a speech input 104, collecting information/data from one or more of the plurality of sources 220, 220a-n, and generating content metadata 110 associated with the speech input 104 for inclusion in an ASR request 102 sent to the QoS manager 300. The user device 200 includes a screen 212 and executes a graphical user interface 214 for display on the screen 212. As shown in FIG. 2, the speech input 104 corresponds to a hotword (“Hey Google”) and following voice query directed to the user device 200, e.g., a calendar application 220e executing on the user device 200, to add an event (Skip Fikany's birthday) on a given day (December 8.sup.th) to the calendar application 200e. In some implementations, the user device 200 presents a transcription of the speech input 104 in a voice search/command window 216 displayed in the graphical user interface 214.”),
Golikov et al. and Sharifi et al. are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because they are in the same field of endeavor in speech processing. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Golikov et al. to incorporate the teachings of Sharifi et al. of wherein the application displays the voice recognition result of the voice signal including the wake word on a first screen image which provides the benefit of providing a method to improve the processing of a large volume of speech recognition requests ([0008] of Sharifi et al.).
However, Golikov et al. in combination with Sharifi et al. does not explicitly teach, but Hutto et al. does teach:
wherein a plurality of function selection button images are displayed on the first screen image (see Fig. 6 (302, 310, 312, 314, 316, 318, 320, 322, 324) and ¶ [0065]: “FIG. 6 shows an example GUI 300 that a user's (or participant's) client device may display after from the perspective of an interpreter. The interpreter can be preassigned during scheduling, assigned during a virtual conference, in response to selection of a command or button (e.g., control 324 or menu 326), etc. For example, the interpreter can select control 324 and then assign themselves as an interpreter while linking themselves to a specific participant(s)...”), and
wherein, when one of the plurality of function selection button images is selected, the processing unit transitions to a second screen image corresponding to the selected function selection button image and displays an image indicating that a user of the voice display device is a hearing-impaired person on the second screen image (see Fig. 6 and ¶ [0065] citations as in limitation above and further Fig. 6: 338: “A Hearing Impaired-Participant has Joined the Meeting”).
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Golikov et al., Sharifi et al., and Hutto et al. are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because they are in the same field of endeavor in speech processing. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Golikov et al. in combination with Sharifi et al. to incorporate the teachings of Hutto et al. of wherein a plurality of function selection button images are displayed on the first screen image, and wherein, when one of the plurality of function selection button images is selected, the processing unit transitions to a second screen image corresponding to the selected function selection button image and displays an image indicating that a user of the voice display device is a hearing-impaired person on the second screen image which provides the benefit of enabling the user to activate one or more features to visually enhance their experience ([0011] of Hutto et al.).
Regarding claim 3, Golikov et al. in combination with Sharifi et al. and Hutto et al. teach the limitations as in claim 2, above.
Hutto et al. further teaches:
3. The voice display device according to claim 2,
wherein the second screen image includes a voice acquisition button image (see Fig. 6 (310) and ¶ [0060 and 0089]: “[0060] … The GUI 300 also includes a toolbar 308 that includes various user controls 310-324, as examples, controls for video devices, microphones, chat functions, gesture functions, and recording functions. Controls 310, 312 may allow the participant to toggle on or off audio or video streams, respectively, captured by a microphone or camera connected to the client device… [0089] …For example, for controls 310-324 can be predetermined audio files whereas reading from the participant list can be text to speech translation…”), and
wherein, when the voice acquisition button image is selected, the processing unit acquires a voice signal of a speaker, recognizes the acquired voice signal of the speaker, converts the voice recognition result to text, and displays the text in the second screen image (see ¶ [0060 and 0089] citations as in limitation above: “…In some embodiments, audio discussion and/or transcripts for users (unimpaired, hearing impaired, or visually impaired) can be buffered during the meeting, such that the user can elect to slow down the discussion.”).
Golikov et al., Sharifi et al., and Hutto et al. are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because they are in the same field of endeavor in speech processing. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Golikov et al. in combination with Sharifi et al. to incorporate the teachings of Hutto et al. of wherein the second screen image includes a voice acquisition button image, and wherein, when the voice acquisition button image is selected, the processing unit acquires a voice signal of a speaker, recognizes the acquired voice signal of the speaker, converts the voice recognition result to text, and displays the text in the second screen image which provides the benefit of enabling the user to activate one or more features to visually enhance their experience ([0011] of Hutto et al.).
Claim 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Golikov et al. (US 20230041517 A1) further in view of Sharifi et al. (US 20220093104 A1) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Smith et al. (US 20200349935 A1).
Regarding claim 4, Golikov et al. in combination with Sharifi et al. teach the limitations as in claim 1, above.
However, Golikov et al. in combination with Sharifi et al. does not explicitly teach, but Smith et al. does teach:
4. The voice display device according to claim 1,
further comprising a vibration unit configured to give an alarm by vibration, wherein the processing unit starts an application for displaying the voice recognition result of a voice signal including a wake word when the wake word is acquired and gives an alarm by vibration of the vibration unit (see ¶ [0134]: “In some embodiments, one or both of the NMDs 503a-b may provide an indication that the wake word has been detected and that the NMD has transitioned to an active state. For example, one or both of the NMDs 503a-b may illuminate a status light, change a color of a status light, pulse a status light, play back an audible indicator (e.g., a chime, a text-to-speech output, etc.), vibrate, or provide any other indicator to a user that the wake word has been detected by that particular NMD and that the NMD has transitioned from an inactive state to an active state.”).
Golikov et al., Sharifi et al., and Smith et al. are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because they are in the same field of endeavor in speech processing. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Golikov et al. in combination with Sharifi et al. to incorporate the teachings of Smith et al. of further comprising a vibration unit configured to give an alarm by vibration, wherein the processing unit starts an application for displaying the voice recognition result of a voice signal including a wake word when the wake word is acquired and gives an alarm by vibration of the vibration unit which provides the benefit of delivering an improved user experience ([0031] of Smith et al.).
Conclusion
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Keisha Y. Castillo-Torres
Examiner
Art Unit 2659
/Keisha Y. Castillo-Torres/Examiner, Art Unit 2659
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