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 .
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.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 02/11/2025 and 05/19/2025 were filed on and after the effective filing date of the instant application on 02/11/2025. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
The Preliminary Amendment
The preliminary amendments to the Specification and to claims, filed on 02/11/2025, have been accepted and entered.
Status of Claims
Claims 8-9, 12 and 24-30 have been cancelled.
Claims 1-7, 10-11 and 13-23 are pending.
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 –
(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.
Claims 1-2, 4-7, 11, 13-14, 16-21 and 23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Teller (US 8893164).
Regarding claim 1, Teller discloses a method, for multi-source multimedia output and synchronization in a computing device (Figure 7), comprising:
receiving a user input selecting one of an audio component, video component, or other perceivable media component associated with multimedia content being rendered by a remote media player within in a perceptible distance of a user of the computing device, wherein the user input indicates that the user wants the selected one of the audio component, video component, or other perceivable media component rendered on the computing device (Figure 7 for perceivable media components 709A-709C being rendered by one of remote media players 708 or 710 or 712 within a perceptible distance of a user of the computing device 704; and Col 8 lines 20-37 and Col 11 lines 10-45 for receiving user gazing information indicated a user viewing a video advertisement rendered on one of remote media players and implied wanting a related audio component of the video advertisement rendered on the computing device 704);
identifying, by a processor of the computing device, the multimedia content; obtaining the identified multimedia content from a source of the multimedia content (Col 8 line 38 through Col 9 line 18 and Col 11 line 46 through Col 12 line 45 for identifying the video advertisement information and obtaining the related audio component of the video advertisement from a video source); and
rendering the selected one of the audio component, video component, or other perceivable media component from the obtained multimedia content, by the computing device, synchronized with the rendering by the remote media player within the perceptible distance of the user (Col 9 lines 29-50 and Col 12 lines 46-51 for playing the obtained audio component in synchronized with the rendering of video advertisement on one of remote media players).
Regarding claim 2, Teller discloses the method as discussed in the rejection of claim 1. Teller further discloses wherein the multimedia content is selected by the user from a plurality of multimedia content observable by the user (Figure 7).
Regarding claim 4, Teller discloses the method as discussed in the rejection of claim 1. Teller further discloses wherein identifying the multimedia content that is being rendered on a display within a perceptible distance of the user of the computing device comprises: detecting a gaze direction of the user; and identifying the multimedia content that is being rendered on the display in the direction of the user's gaze (Figure 7; Col 8 line 38 through Col 9 line 18 and Col 11 line 46 through Col 12 line 45).
Regarding claim 5, Teller discloses the method as discussed in the rejection of claim 4. Teller further discloses wherein identifying multimedia content that is being rendered on the display within a perceptible distance of a user of the computing device comprises: receiving a user input indicating a direction from which the user is perceiving the multimedia content; and identifying the multimedia content based on the received user input (Figure 7; Col 8 line 38 through Col 9 line 18 and Col 11 line 46 through Col 12 line 45).
Regarding claim 6, Teller discloses the method as discussed in the rejection of claim 1. Teller further discloses wherein obtaining the identified audio component, video component, or other perceivable media component of the multimedia content from a source of the multimedia content comprises:
obtaining metadata regarding the multimedia content; using the obtained metadata to identify a source of the multimedia content; and obtaining the audio component, video component, or other perceivable media component from the identified source of the multimedia content (Col 8 line 38 through Col 9 line 18).
Regarding claim 7, Teller discloses the method as discussed in the rejection of claim 1. Teller further discloses wherein obtaining the identified audio component, video component, or other perceivable media component of the multimedia content from a source of the multimedia content comprises:
transmitting a query to a remote computing device regarding the multimedia content; requesting identification of a source of the multimedia content; and obtaining the audio component, video component, or other perceivable media component from the identified source of the multimedia content (Col 8 line 38 through Col 9 line 28 and Col 11 line 46 through Col 12 line 45).
Regarding claim 11, Teller discloses the method as discussed in the rejection of claim 1. Teller further discloses wherein rendering the selected one of the audio component, the video component, or other perceivable media component, by the computing device, synchronized with the rendering by the remote media player within in the perceptible distance of the user comprises:
sampling one or more of the audio component, video component, or other perceivable media component of the multimedia content being rendered by the remote media player within the perceptible distance of the user; determining a timing difference between samples of one or more of the audio content being rendered and the audio component, video component, or other perceivable media component obtained from the source of the multimedia content; and rendering the selected one of the audio component, video component, or other perceivable media component by the computing device so that the user will perceive the selected one of the audio component, video component, or other perceivable media component so rendered to be synchronized with the multimedia content rendered by the remote media player (Col 9 lines 45-50 and Col 12 lines 23-51).
Regarding claim 13, all functionalities of a computing device in claim 13 are analyzed and rejected corresponding to claim 1. Teller discloses a computing device, comprising a transceiver and a processor coupled to the transceiver (Figure 8).
Regarding claim 14, all limitations of claim 14 are analyzed and rejected corresponding to claim 2.
Regarding claims 16-19, all limitations of claims 16-19 are analyzed and rejected corresponding to claims 4-7 respectively.
Regarding claim 20, Teller discloses the method as discussed in the rejection of claim 19. Teller further discloses wherein the processor is further configured to: sample one of the audio component or video component being rendered by the remote media player, wherein the transmitted query includes at least a portion of the sampled one of the audio component or video component (Col 9 lines 45-50 and Col 12 lines 23-51).
Regarding claim 21, Teller discloses the method as discussed in the rejection of claim 19. Teller further discloses wherein the processor is further configured to identify the source of the multimedia content or synchronize the rendering by the remote media player based on information received in response to the transmitted query (Col 9 lines 45-50 and Col 12 lines 23-51).
Regarding claim 23, all limitations of claim 23 are analyzed and rejected corresponding to claim 11.
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.
Claims 3 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Teller (US 8893164) in view of Goldberg et al (US 2021/0373834).
Regarding claim 3, Teller discloses the method as discussed in the rejection of claim 1. Teller further discloses receiving a user input comprises: detecting a gazing performed by the user; interpreting the detected gazing information to identify the multimedia content being rendered within a threshold distance of the computing device; and identifying one of the audio component, video component, or other perceivable media component of the identified multimedia content that the user wants rendered on the computing device (Col 8 lines 20-37 and Col 11 lines 10-45).
Teller is silent about detecting and interpreting a gesture performed by the user to determine whether it identifies the multimedia content being rendered.
Goldberg discloses receiving a user input comprises detecting a gesture performed by the user; interpreting the detected gesture to determine whether it identifies the multimedia content being rendered within a threshold distance of the computing device and identifying one of the audio component, video component, or other perceivable media component of the identified multimedia content that the user wants rendered on the computing device (¶ [0024], ¶ [0030]-[0031] and ¶ [0043]-0049]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Teller system with the teaching of Goldberg about detecting and interpreting user’s gesture as one of user inputs within a threshold distance of display devices, so to provide a variety of input means for a user as a matter of improving user conveniences.
Regarding claim 15, all limitations of claim 15 are analyzed and rejected corresponding to claim 3.
Claims 10 and 22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Teller (US 8893164) in view of Ortiz et al (US 2016/0182971).
Regarding claim 10, Teller discloses the method as discussed in the rejection of claim 1. Teller further discloses obtaining the identified multimedia content from a source of the multimedia content comprises: obtaining access to the multimedia content from the source of the multimedia content; and receiving the identified audio component, video component, or other perceivable media component of the multimedia content based on the obtained access (Col 8 line 38 through Col 9 line 18 and Col 11 line 46 through Col 12 line 45), but is silent about obtaining subscription access to the multimedia content.
Ortiz discloses obtaining subscription access to the multimedia content from the source of the multimedia content; and receiving the identified audio component, video component, or other perceivable media component of the multimedia content based on the obtained subscription access (¶ [0116] and ¶ [0130]-[0135]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Teller system with the teaching of Ortiz, so to enhance content transmission in a more secure environment.
Regarding claim 22, all limitations of claim 22 are analyzed and rejected corresponding to claim 10.
Conclusion
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/GIGI L DUBASKY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2421