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 .
This office action is in response to applicant’s filing dated 5/27/2025, claims 1-20 are currently pending in the application.
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, 11-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Miyazaki et al. (US 20240155287 A1) hereinafter Miyazaki.
Regarding claim 1, Miyazaki teaches A method for managing user location using a virtual sound source (“The control apparatus 10 controls the plurality of speakers (in the example illustrated in FIG. 1, speakers 22 and 24) independently of each other. Control to be performed independently herein includes at least one of selection of sound data to be supplied, a timing of supplying sound data, and a sound volume” in ¶[0043]), the method comprising: detecting, using control circuitry, the presence of a first user (“in a case where image data generated by the image capture apparatus 32 include a person” in ¶[0047]) within a local area network (“The network is, for example, a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN)” in ¶[0067]); initiating, using control circuitry, a visit session in response to detecting the presence of the first user (“A method of connecting the network interface 1060 to a network may be wireless connection, or may be wired connection. The control apparatus 10 may communicate with an image capture apparatus and a speaker via the network interface 1060” in ¶[0067]); determining, using control circuitry, a location of the first user within the local area network during the visit session (Steps S110 and S120 in Fig. 6); and modifying, using control circuitry, an output of one or more speakers to generate a virtual sound source (“The control unit 120 controls the speakers 22 and 24 independently of each other by using the information generated in step S120 (step S130). Details of control to be performed herein are as described by using FIGS. 1 and 2” in ¶[0069]) at a remote location within the local area network away from the location of the first user (“In the present example embodiment, both of the speakers 22 and 24 include directivity. One example of the speakers 22 and 24 is a parametric speaker. In a case where position information indicates that a person is present in a range (hereinafter, described as a partial area 42) where a sound from the speaker 22 can be heard, the control apparatus 10 supplies first sound data to the speaker 22. Further, in a case where position information indicates that a person is present in a range (hereinafter, described as a partial area 44) where a sound from the speaker 24 can be heard, the control apparatus 10 supplies second sound data to the speaker 24. First sound data and second sound data indicate, for example, information relating to a product. As one example, first sound data are information relating to a product disposed near the partial area 42, and second sound data are information relating to a product disposed near the partial area 44” in ¶[0045]).
Regarding claim 2, Miyazaki teaches the method of claim 1, Miyazaki further teaches the method further comprising detecting the presence of a second user within the local network area during the visit session; associating the second user with the visit session; determining a location of the second user within the local area network during the visit session, wherein the location of the second user corresponds to the remote location at which the virtual sound source is generated (“when position information indicates that a person is present in at least one of the partial areas 42 and 44, the control unit 120 stops supply of sound data to the speaker 26, or lowers a sound volume of the speaker 26. Further, when a person is present in the partial area 42, the control unit 120 supplies first sound data to the speaker 22, and when a person is present in the partial area 44, the control unit 120 supplies second sound data to the speaker 24.” in ¶[0075]).
Regarding claims 11, and 12, claims are rejected for being the systems comprising at least the same elements and performing at least the same functions performed by the methods of claims 1 and 2 respectively 9see rejections of claims 1 and 2 above).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-10 and 13-20 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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AMMAR T HAMID whose telephone number is (571)272-1953. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-5, Eastern 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) 272-7848. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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AMMAR T. HAMID
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2695
/AMMAR T HAMID/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2695
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