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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Introduction
This action responds to the application 19/048,669 filed on 02-07-2025.
Claims 1-13 are pending.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
Claims 1-13 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.
Independent claim 1 (lines 6, 9,12,15) recite the limitation "MMIC" which affects the relative weight. However, it is unclear for one of ordinary skill in the art where and how is this loose "MMIC" "MMIC" generated. Applicant is advised to clearly and precisely define the metes and bounds of the "MMIC" in independent claim 17. See MPEP 2173.02.
Claim Objections
Claims 2-8, 10 and 11 are objected to because of the following informalities: THE CLAIM ARE OBJECTED TO SINCE THE REFERENCE CHARACTERS ASSOCIATED WITH THE CLAIMS CREATE CONFUSION AND MAY BE INTERPRETED AS PART OF THE CLAIMS AND THEREFOE THE APPLICANT IS REQUIRED TO AMEND SUCH REFERENCE CHARACTERS ACCORDINGLY. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. Claims 1-5 and 8-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a (1) as being anticipated by Shdema et al. (US 2002/0072816).
Consider Claim 1, Shdema teaches a stepped control system with dedicated integrated circuit(see fig. 1), said control system comprising:
an analog audio input receiver circuit(see fig. 3(140A-140C) configured to receive analog audio inputs; an audio processor circuit(see fig. 2) for processing audio sources, the audio processor circuit (see figs.1-3 and paragraphs [0049]-[0055]).comprising:
a master MMIC acting(see fig. 1) as a digital and analog audio player and configured to receive digital audio inputs and at least one audio processing command from a user; wherein the master MMIC receives the analog audio inputs from the analog audio input receiver circuit(see figs.1-5 and paragraphs [0034]-[0048]).,
so that audio signals from the analog and digital audio inputs are routed to audio outputs of the master MMIC after the audio signals have been processed by the master MMIC(see figs.1-6 and paragraphs [0034]-[0048]).
Consider Claims 2 and 3, Shdema teaches the stepped control system with dedicated integrated circuit,further comprising at least two slave MMICs acting as audio processors to process the audio sources when there are more than three audio channels; in which the analog audio inputs are connected to processing inputs of said at least two slave MMICs together with an audio output from the master MMIC; in which each slave MMIC (Slave 1, Slave 2) of said at least two slave MMICs receives two analog audio inputs, and two audio outputs from the master MMIC; where the at least two slave MMICs (Slave 1, Slave 2) generate generic processed audio outputs; and in which processing parameters of said at least two slave MMICs are determined by the Master MMIC(see figs.1-6 and paragraphs [0067]-[0080]); and the stepped control system with dedicated integrated circuit; further comprising a summing and mute circuit configured to at least one of sum or mix the analog audio inputs, wherein the summing and mute circuit is additionally configured to mute the analog audio inputs(see figs.1-6 and paragraphs [0067]-[0080]).
Consider Claims 4 and 5, Shdema teaches the stepped control system with dedicated integrated circuit further comprising an amplifier integrated circuit (Amp 10) configured to receive the generic processed audio outputs of the at least two slave MMICs (see figs.1-6 and paragraphs [0067]-[0080]); and the stepped control system with dedicated integrated circuit further comprising a speaker output (11) configured to receive outputs of the amplifier circuit (see figs.1-6 and paragraphs [0067]-[0080])..
Consider Claims 8 and 9, Shdema teaches the stepped control system with dedicated integrated circuit, further comprising at least a first pair of summing circuits and at least a second pair of summing circuits; wherein each summing circuit of the at least first and second pairs of summing circuit is configured to receive an output from a summing and mute circuit and an output from the master MMIC; and where outputs of the at least first pair of summing circuits connect to an input of the first slave MMIC, and outputs of the at least second pair of summing circuits connect to an input of the second slave MMIC (see figs.1-6 and paragraphs [0067]-[0080]); and the stepped control system with dedicated integrated circuit wherein the analog audio inputs can be any one of RCA, XLR, P10, P3 or Speaker Input Wire(see figs.1-6 and paragraphs [0034]-[0048]). .
Consider Claims 10 and 11, Shdema teaches the stepped control system with dedicated integrated circuit characterized in that the at least two slave MMICs are configured to drive a summing and mute circuit (9) of the analog audio inputs(see figs.1-6 and paragraphs [0067]-[0080]); and the stepped control system with dedicated integrated circuit wherein the at least two slave MMICs also receive an analogue and digital signal from the master MMIC, enabling audio traffic between the at least two slave MMICs(see figs.1-6 and paragraphs [0034]-[0048]).
Consider Claims 12 and 13, Shdema teaches the stepped control system with dedicated integrated circuit wherein the master MMIC is configured to receive information from Bluetooth communication with or without broadcast(see figs.1-6 and paragraphs [0031]-[0048]); and the stepped control system with dedicated integrated circuit, wherein said stepped control system is applied in at least one of multimedia, processors, sound mixers or audio amplifiers(see figs.1-6 and paragraphs [0034]-[0048]). .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
8. 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.
9. The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
(a) A patent may not be obtained though the invention is not identically disclosed or described as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the subject matter sought to be patented and the prior art are such that the subject matter as a whole would have been obvious at the time the invention was made to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains. Patentability shall not be negatived by the manner in which the invention was made.
10. The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
11. Claims 6 and 7 are rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Shdema et al. (US 2002/0072816). in view of Seymour (US 2009/0015963).
Consider Claim 6, Shdema does not explicitly teach the stepped control system with dedicated integrated circuit further comprising at least one first pair of RCA analog inputs, at least one second pair of RCA analog inputs, at least one first pair of Speaker Input Wire analog inputs, and at least one second pair of Speaker Input Wire analog inputs.
However, Seymour teaches the stepped control system with dedicated integrated circuit, further comprising at least one first pair of RCA analog inputs, at least one second pair of RCA analog inputs, at least one first pair of Speaker Input Wire analog inputs, and at least one second pair of Speaker Input Wire analog inputs(see figs.2-4 and paragraphs [0018]-[0023]).
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 Seymour into the teaching of Shdema to provide an analog output port, analog input port and computer serial port are located on the rear panel. An analog input port located on the rear panel. A first audio cassette deck having an output is located on the front panel. Adjacent thereto, a second audio cassette deck having an output and an input is also located on the front panel. The output of the first deck is electrically connected to the input of the second deck, the analog output port and the computer serial port. The output of the second deck is electrically connected to the analog output port and the computer serial port. Finally, the input port of the second deck is electrically connected to the computer serial port.
Consider Claim 7, Shdema as modified by Seymour teaches the stepped control system with dedicated integrated circuit, further comprising a first summing and mute circuit and a second summing and mute circuit , wherein the first summing and mute circuit is configured to receive the at least one first pair of analog RCA inputs and the at least one first pair of Speaker Input Wire analog inputs from conditioning circuits; and the second summing and mute circuit (9) is configured to receive the at least one second pair of RCA analog inputs and the at least one second pair of Speaker Input Wire analog inputs from the conditioning circuits (In Seymour, see figs.2-4 and paragraphs [0018]-[0023]).
Conclusion
12. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure. Bramadass et al.(US 2020/030411) is cited to show other STEPPED CONTROL SYSTEM WITH DEDICATED INTEGRATED CIRCUIT.
13. Any response to this action should be mailed to:
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Commissioner for Patents
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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, 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 2651 Patent Examiner
US Patent and Trademark Office
Knox
571-272-7501
Date 08-19-2026
Prosecution Insights