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 .
Status of Claims
Claims 19-20 are canceled
Claims 1-2, 4-17 and 21-22 are rejected
Claims 3 and 18 are objected to
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 22 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 22 recites the limitation "the one or more processors" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
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.
Claim(s) 1-2, 4-17 and 19-22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Oh et al (US PUB 20170272890, hereinafter Oh890)
Regarding Claim 1, Oh890 discloses a computer-implemented method (e.g. using the processor 300 of figure 2) comprising: storing a plurality of sets of partial head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) (e.g. plurality of sets of HRTF is stored in a HRTF unit 330), (see figure 2), wherein each partial HRTF comprises a sub-selection of total features of a full HRTF, wherein each set of partial HRTFs comprises variations in a different feature of a particular HRTF (e.g. a pinna related transfer function (PRTF) and a head ex pinna related transfer function (HEPRTF)), (see figures 4-5); selecting a partial HRTF from each set of partial HRTFs; combining the selected partial HRTFs to generate a synthesized HRTF (e.g. the personalized processor 300 may decompose an HRTF into a pinna related transfer function (PRTF) and a head ex pinna related transfer function (HEPRTF), and may combine and modify the personalized HRTF the PRTF and the HEPRTF to generate the personalized HRTF); and applying the synthesized HRTF to generate binaural audio (e.g. via the binaural renderer 100),
(see Oh890, [0047]-[0055], [0067] and [0083]-[0099], also figures 1-6).
Regarding Claim 2, Oh890 discloses the computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the variations in the feature across a set of partial HRTFs provides variations in a user-perceived property of a sound, with each set of partial HRTFs providing variations in a different user-perceived property of sound (e.g. the personalization processor 300 uses anthropometric feature of individual user to develop the sets of HRTFs), (see Oh890, [0049] and [0054] and figure 3).
Regarding Claim 4, Oh890 discloses the computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the combined partial HRTFs selected from each set collectively provide all features of a full HRTF, such that combining selected partial HRTFs synthesizes a full HRTF (see Oh890, [0084]).
Regarding Claim 5, Oh890 discloses the computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein one or more sets of partial HRTFs correspond to a variation in a parameter associated with a perceived location of a sound source (see Oh890, [0049] and [0110]).
Regarding Claim 6, Oh890 discloses the computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sets of partial HRTFs comprise: a first set of partial HRTFs comprising variations in one or more features of the HRTF associated with perception of an elevatory location of a sound source; a second set of partial HRTFs comprising variations in one or more features of the HRTF associated with perception of lateral location of a sound source (see Oh890, [0066]-[0067] and [0110]).
Regarding Claim 7, Oh890 discloses the computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein: the first set of partial HRTFs comprises variations in one or more of: (1) a parameter of a pinnae notch, or (2) a parameter associated with contralateral and ipsilateral frequency filtering; and the second set of partial HRTFs comprise variations in one or more of: (1) an interaural time delay or (2) an interaural level difference (see Oh890, [0064] and [0066],also figure 3).
Regarding Claim 8, Oh890 discloses the computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the first set of partial HRTFs and second set of partial HRTFs comprise HRTF data for a single ear only, wherein the method comprises: after selecting the partial HRTFs from the first set and the second set, copying the selected partial HRTFs, and using the selected partial HRTFs to provide HRTF data for the second ear (see Oh890, [0070]-[0072], and figure 4).
Regarding Claim 9, Oh890 discloses the computer-implemented method of claim 8 comprising: combining the partial HRTFs selected from the first set and the second set; adjusting the azimuthal angle of the combined HRTFs to synthesize an HRTF for the second ear (see Oh890, [0070]-[0072], and [0097], also figure 4).
Regarding Claim 10, Oh890 discloses the computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sets of partial HRTFs comprise: a set of partial HRTFs comprising variations in a feature of the HRTF associated with a timbre of a sound; and the partial HRTFs of the set of partial HRTFs each comprise an HRTF with the localization-perception features of the HRTF removed (see Oh890, [0066]-[0067] and [0110]).
Regarding Claim 11, Oh890 discloses the computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein each set of partial HRTFs comprises one or more features that are varied across the set of partial HRTFs to provide variations in a user-perceived property of a sound, wherein each of the partial HRTFs of one of the sets of partial HRTFs additionally comprises a baseline HRTF (e.g. the personalization processor 300 uses anthropometric feature of individual user to develop the sets of HRTFs), (see Oh890, [0049] and [0054] and figure 3).
Regarding Claim 12, Oh890 discloses the computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises selecting a partial HRTF from each set of partial HRTFs at run-time, and performing a convolution of the partial HRTFs to combine them to form the full HRTF (see Oh890, [0066] and [0084], and figures 4-5).
Regarding Claim 13, Oh890 discloses the computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises storing each partial HRTF as head related impulse response (HRIR) data in a time domain (e.g. the device may receive an impulse response to an audio signal to measure an ear form), (see Oh890, [0075], and [0096], also figure 3).
Regarding Claim 14, Oh890 discloses the computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the method comprises storing each partial HRTF as a minimum phase filter in the time domain, and truncating trailing zeros from each minimum phase filter (see Oh890, [0101], also figures 4-5).
Regarding Claim 15, Oh890 discloses the computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein combining the selected partial HRTFs comprises converting the HRIR data into a frequency domain and performing a convolution of each partial HRTF (see Oh890, [0084] and [0101], and figures 4-5).
Regarding Claim 16, Oh890 discloses the computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein selecting the partial HRTF from each set of partial HRTFs comprises: receiving a user input and performing the selection based on the user input (see Oh890, [0066] and [0077], also figures 3-5).
Regarding Claim 17, Oh890 discloses the computer implemented method of claim 16, wherein the method comprises receiving user input of measurement data encoding a measurement of at least part of the user's HRTF and selecting the partial HRTFs based on the measurement data (see Oh890, [0066] and [0077], also figures 3-5).
Regarding Claim 21, Oh890 discloses a system (e.g. using the processor 300 of figure 2), (see at least the abstract and figure 2) comprising: one or more processors, and one or more non-transitory computer-readable media that store instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising: storing a plurality of sets of partial head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) (e.g. plurality of sets of HRTF is stored in a HRTF unit 330), (see figure 2), wherein each partial HRTF comprises a sub-selection of total features of a full HRTF, wherein each set of partial HRTFs comprises variations in a different feature of a particular HRTF (e.g. a pinna related transfer function (PRTF) and a head ex pinna related transfer function (HEPRTF)), (see figures 4-5); selecting a partial HRTF from each set of partial HRTFs; combining the selected partial HRTFs to generate a synthesized HRTF (e.g. the personalized processor 300 may decompose an HRTF into a pinna related transfer function (PRTF) and a head ex pinna related transfer function (HEPRTF), and may combine and modify the personalized HRTF the PRTF and the HEPRTF to generate the personalized HRTF); and applying the synthesized HRTF to generate binaural audio (e.g. via the binaural renderer 100), (see Oh890, [0047]-[0055], [0067] and [0083]-[0099], also figures 1-6).
Regarding Claim 22, Oh890 discloses one or more non-transitory computer-readable media that store instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors (e.g. processor 300), cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising: storing a plurality of sets of partial head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) (e.g. plurality of sets of HRTF is stored in a HRTF unit 330), (see figure 2), wherein each partial HRTF comprises a sub-selection of total features of a full HRTF, wherein each set of partial HRTFs comprises variations in a different feature of a particular HRTF (e.g. a pinna related transfer function (PRTF) and a head ex pinna related transfer function (HEPRTF)), (see figures 4-5); selecting a partial HRTF from each set of partial HRTFs; combining the selected partial HRTFs to generate a synthesized HRTF (e.g. the personalized processor 300 may decompose an HRTF into a pinna related transfer function (PRTF) and a head ex pinna related transfer function (HEPRTF), and may combine and modify the personalized HRTF the PRTF and the HEPRTF to generate the personalized HRTF); and applying the synthesized HRTF to generate binaural audio (e.g. via the binaural renderer 100), (see Oh890, [0047]-[0055], [0067] and [0083]-[0099], also figures 1-6).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3 and 18 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record provided on 892 and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to OYESOLA C OJO whose telephone number is (571)272-0848. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday 8:00am to 4:00pm Central Time.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Vivian Chin can be reached at 571-272-7840. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/OYESOLA C OJO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2695.
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