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 .
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 –
Claim(s) 1-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Vines et al (US 10861465 B1).
As per claim 1, an electronic apparatus, comprising:
a memory configured to store audio content (either of 330 and 320 in fig. 7 require digital processors and memory/buffering for the audio content at each cited process below in order to store and operate on the audio as cited);
a communication interface (required by the mobile phone 330 in order to provide the audio content per para 17, also to control the apparatus and also the microphones and other interfaces on the phone to receive audio and the other cited signaling via from the components of the system); and
at least one processor configured to:
identify an audio apparatus connectable to the electronic apparatus through the communication interface (identified through the calibration process described in para 39, noting that any of the interface signaling per para 20, as applied to the phone 330 identifies the audio apparatus),
acquire, from the audio apparatus through the communication interface:
channel configuration information related to a plurality of speakers included in the audio apparatus (para 35, the information identifying for each of the speakers in the multichannel implementation per para 35 and as shown in fig. 6 which is required in order to identify each channel as a channel in the defined multi channel sound system) a,
a position response signal representing a position of the audio apparatus (position data para 36, and/or any of the tracked speaker location para 24, movement of a speaker para 24 , and listening position para 39 are each an indication of the speaker location relative to the other components in the system), and
tilt angle information representing a degree to which the audio apparatus is tilted in space (the pitch roll and yaw indications per para 24),
identify an arrangement position of the audio apparatus based on the position response signal (any of the tracked speaker location para 24, movement of a speaker para 24, and listening position para 39, and also the multichannel system para 2 has designated and identified by the processor arrangement systems as inherent to multichannel systems as needed to define the channels),
identify an arrangement angle of the audio apparatus based on the tilt angle information (the tracked direction per para 24),
acquire audio data for outputting different audio signals to each of the plurality of speakers of the audio apparatus based on the audio content, the channel configuration information, the arrangement position, and the arrangement angle (provide the audio per para 17, where the audio data is based on the processing per para 75: Calibration may include adjusting the spatial calibration and/or otherwise compensation of audio content played back by a speaker to minimize distortions introduced by speakers placed outside of a recommended position, such as speaker 306 ) (also the processing in para 76 could be used) , and
transmit the audio data to the audio apparatus through the communication interface (device 330 can stream the audio to the speakers, provide the audio content per para 17).
As per claim 2, the electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the channel configuration information represents a channel corresponding to each of the plurality of speakers included in the audio apparatus (per the claim 1 rejection, the cited elements represent the channels of the disclosed multichannel audio system).
As per claim 3, the electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1, the at least one processor is configured to: based on the tilt angle information being changed, re-identify the arrangement angle, change the audio data based on the audio content, the channel configuration information, the arrangement position, and the re-identified arrangement angle, and transmit the changed audio data to the audio apparatus through the communication interface (the position and tilt information can be tracked including changes in placement per para 76).
As per claim 4, the electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: transmit a control command requesting the position response signal to the audio apparatus through the communication interface at a first time point, receive the position response signal from the audio apparatus through the communication interface at a second time point, and identify the arrangement position of the audio apparatus based on the first time point, the second time point, and a transmission speed/time of the position response signal (per signaling needed to implement the time of flight measurements in para 40 in the processor, noting the time of flight requires signaling at multiple points in time, further noting the speed is tracked per ).
As per claim 5, the electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: allow the audio apparatus to acquire a rotation angle (roll, pitch, and yaw) corresponding to three axes (x, y, and z) representing three dimensions based on the tilt angle information, and identify the arrangement angle of the audio apparatus based on the rotation angle (roll, pitch, and yaw) (per claim 1 rejection).
As per claim 6, the electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the audio apparatus includes a first audio apparatus and a second audio apparatus, and the at least one processor is configured to: acquire first channel configuration information, a first position response signal, and first tilt angle information of the first audio apparatus through the communication interface, and acquire second channel configuration information, a second position response signal, and second tilt angle information of the second audio apparatus through the communication interface (the sequential speaker calibration locating process described in para 43).
As per claim 7, the electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: identify a first arrangement position of the first audio apparatus based on the first position response signal, identify a second arrangement position of the second audio apparatus based on the second position response signal, identify a first arrangement angle of the first audio apparatus based on the first tilt angle information, and identify a second arrangement angle of the second audio apparatus based on the second tilt angle information (the position, direction and tilt of each speaker as they are respectively tested in the time of flight processing cited above).
As per claim 8, the electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: acquire first audio data to be output to the first audio apparatus and second audio data to be output to the second audio apparatus based on the audio content, the first channel configuration information, the first arrangement position, the first arrangement angle, the second channel configuration information, the second arrangement position, and the second arrangement angle, and transmit the first audio data to the first audio apparatus and the second audio data to the second audio apparatus through the communication interface (either of the devices 320 or 330 performing the calibration/time of flight measurements from each speaker, and then also streaming the audio to each loudspeaker based on the detected position, tilt, configuration info/identity for each speaker).
As per claim 9, the electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1, comprising: a sensor unit, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: acquire the tilt angle information of the electronic apparatus through the sensor unit (para 39 discloses: this regard, the user device may be positioned in a listening position, such as user device 330 in listening position 711. As such, the calibration of the multichannel sound system can take into account the listening position relative to the position of the speakers) when the listening position is relative to the device 330 and the speaker, the pitch roll and yaw as cited above are relative to such parameters of device 330), and
identify the arrangement position and the arrangement angle of the audio apparatus based on the position response signal, the tilt angle information of the electronic apparatus, and the tilt angle information of the audio apparatus (the processing per the relative position between device 330 and speaker, in view of the tilt parameters cited above).
As per claim 10, the electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: acquire a first angle representing a yaw angle of the electronic apparatus based on the tilt angle information of the electronic apparatus, acquire a second angle representing a yaw angle of the audio apparatus based on the tilt angle information of the audio apparatus, identify candidate areas of the audio apparatus based on a difference value between the first angle and the second angle, and identify the arrangement position of the audio apparatus based on a direction in which the position response signal is output among the candidate areas.
(per the relative signaling recited in para 39 between 330 and the speakers) in view of the pitch roll and yaw parameters cited above) (para. 39: his regard, the user device may be positioned in a listening position, such as user device 330 in listening position 711. As such, the calibration of the multichannel sound system can take into account the listening position relative to the position of the speakers).
As per claim 11, a controlling method of an electronic apparatus configured to store audio content, the controlling method comprising:
identifying an audio apparatus connectable to the electronic apparatus (per claim 1 rejection);
acquiring, from the audio apparatus, channel configuration information related to a plurality of speakers included in the audio apparatus, a position response signal representing a position of the audio apparatus, and tilt angle information representing a degree to which the audio apparatus is tilted in space; (per claim 1 rejection)
identifying an arrangement position of the audio apparatus based on the position response signal; (per claim 1 rejection)
identifying an arrangement angle of the audio apparatus based on the tilt angle information; (per claim 1 rejection)
acquiring audio data for outputting different audio signals to each of the plurality of speakers of the audio apparatus based on the audio content, the channel configuration information, the arrangement position, and the arrangement angle; (per claim 1 rejection) and
transmitting the audio data to the audio apparatus(per claim 1 rejection).
As per claim 12, the controlling method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the channel configuration information represents a channel corresponding to each of the plurality of speakers included in the audio apparatus (per claim 2 rejection).
As per claim 13, the controlling method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising: when the tilt angle information changes, re-identifying the arrangement angle; changing the audio data based on the audio content, the channel configuration information, the arrangement position, and the re-identified arrangement angle; and transmitting the changed audio data to the audio apparatus (per claim 3 rejection).
As per claim 14, the controlling method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the identifying of the arrangement position includes:
transmitting a control command requesting the position response signal to the audio apparatus at a first time point;
receiving the position response signal from the audio apparatus at a second time point; and identifying the arrangement position of the audio apparatus based on the first time point, the second time point, and a transmission speed of the position response signal (per the claim 4 rejection).
As per claim 15, the controlling method as claimed in claim 11, wherein in the identifying of the arrangement angle, the audio apparatus acquires a rotation angle (roll, pitch, and yaw) corresponding to three axes (x, y, and z) representing three dimensions based on the tilt angle information, and the arrangement angle of the audio apparatus is identified based on the rotation angle (roll, pitch, and yaw) (per the claim 5 rejection).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALEXANDER KRZYSTAN whose telephone number is 571-272-7498, and whose email address is alexander.krzystan@uspto.gov
The examiner can usually be reached on m-f 7:30-4:00 est.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone or email are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Carolyn Edwards can be reached on (571) 270-7136.
The fax phone numbers for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned are 571-273-8300 for regular communications and 571-273-8300 for After Final communications.
/ALEXANDER KRZYSTAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2653
Examiner Alexander Krzystan
August 13, 2026
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