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 based on the communications filed April 15, 2025. Claims 1 – 20 are currently pending and considered below.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on April 15, 2025 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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.
(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.
Claim(s) 1 – 9, 12 – 16, and 18 – 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Juzswik et al. (US 2016/0088052 A1), hereinafter Juzswik.
Claim 1: Juzswik discloses method (see at least, “FIG. 3 illustrates a flow diagram of a method according to the present disclosure,” Juzswik [0009], Juzswik FIG. 3) comprising:
establishing a point-to-point electronic communication link (see at least, “The method begins with step 304-configuring the VMU 100 for media services associated with mobile device 96. The configuration may include installation of and operability of application firmware and/or software at the VMU 100 (e.g., stored on memory 102 and having instructions executable by processor 104). For example, the instructions may include executing some or all of the remaining steps of the method described herein. In at least one implementation, the software application is suitably operable to: pre-associate with one or more mobile devices 96 that have Wi-Fi Direct capability (i.e., non-legacy devices); acquire and maintain a listing (or list) of non-legacy devices (e.g., a listing of potential MSPs); connect via Wi-Fi Direct with one or more mobile devices on the listing; request and receive metadata (i.e., index metadata) from the one or more mobile devices; and upon receiving an indication (at the VMU) that a user 94 requests media services, providing a listing of the available media or media services based on the metadata from the connected mobile devices,” Juzswik [0041]) between a first device installed in a vehicle (see at least, “using vehicle electronics that include a vehicle multi-tainment unit (VMU),” Juzswik [0003], “Vehicle electronics 28 also includes a number of vehicle user interfaces that provide vehicle occupants with a means of providing and/or receiving information, including microphone 32, pushbuttons(s) 34, audio system 36, and visual display 38,” [0020], “The vehicle electronics 28 may also include the vehicle multi-tainment unit (VMU) 100 which may be a separate module or may include some of the vehicle electronics previously discussed (e.g., the audio system 36, the visual display 38, etc.) (see also FIG. 2),” Juzswik [0021], “Thus, in some instances, the VMU 100 may be integrated (e.g., a fixture) within the vehicle 12,” Juzswik [0021]) and a second device carried by the vehicle (see at least, “identifying one or more mobile devices at the vehicle,” Juzswik [0003]);
identifying, by a communication between the first device and the second device, one or more media channels for which the first device is to receive streaming content from the second device (see at least, “In part, the media services are provided by indexing media metadata stored on the mobile device 96. This indexing is performed by the VMU 100; by performing the method, the VMU is able to more quickly and efficiently provide the media contents of one or mobile devices 96 to the occupants upon their request,” Juzswik [0038], “Providing media services includes providing of any media content from the mobile device(s) 96 to the VMU 100. Therefore, the mobile device(s) 96 may be considered media service providers (MSPs). The term media content should be construed broadly to include video data, audio data, and/or multi-media data; moreover, media content may pertain to information data (e.g., news, finance, advertising, education, science, industry, government, just to name a few information examples) and/or entertainment data (e.g., music, movies, gaming, television, just to name a few entertainment examples). The media content may be stored on any suitable memory in the mobile device(s) 96 or may be any content accessible by the mobile device(s) (e.g., accessible via the cloud or internet),” Juzswik [0039], “In all instances, the media content relevant to method 300 may have or be associated with metadata which may be acquired by the VMU 100, as will be described in more detail below,” Juzswik [0040]);
processing, in the first device, a first media stream based on one or more media sources to create a first stream of content for the one or more media channels (see at least, “Audio system 36 provides audio output to a vehicle occupant and can be a dedicated, stand-alone system or part of the primary vehicle audio system. According to the particular embodiment shown here, audio system 36 is operatively coupled to both vehicle bus 44 and entertainment bus 46 and can provide AM, FM and satellite radio, CD, DVD and other multimedia functionality. This functionality can be provided in conjunction with or independent of the infotainment module described above,” Juzswik [0020]);
receiving, from the second device over the point-to-point electronic communication link to the first device, a second stream of content for the one or more media channels (see at least, “In step 352, the VMU 100 provides the requested media content to the vehicle occupants. For example, the VMU via the Wi-Fi Direct connection receives any suitable data associated with the requested file (e.g., the entire file or the streaming file) and provides it via the vehicle electronics. For example, if the file was the audio file "New Sensation," then the file is played to the vehicle occupants using the audio system 36. Of course, if the file were a video or multimedia file, it might be provided via the display 38 and/or audio system 36, etc.,” Juzswik [0050]); and
selecting, at the first device, between providing the first stream of content or the second stream of content to an output interface coupled to one or more media sinks (see at least, “Conventional vehicle head units enable vehicle users to play audio, e.g., via analog or digital AM/FM radio stations and/or stored media (such as compact discs and solid state devices). More recently, vehicle head units provide other data including XM or satellite radio and GPS data via onboard navigation units,” Juzswik [0002], “Audio system 36 provides audio output to a vehicle occupant and can be a dedicated, stand-alone system or part of the primary vehicle audio system. According to the particular embodiment shown here, audio system 36 is operatively coupled to both vehicle bus 44 and entertainment bus 46 and can provide AM, FM and satellite radio, CD, DVD and other multimedia functionality. This functionality can be provided in conjunction with or independent of the infotainment module described above,” Juzswik [0020], “In step 344, the VMU 100 may receive an indication that the vehicle occupant 94 has requested media services more specifically, media services which are available using the mobile device 96. The indication may be received as a user request or selection via any of the vehicle electronics 28; e.g., via a pushbutton 34 (e.g., on the VMU) or via a touch screen input (e.g., via the display 38 or VMU) or a voice control input via the microphone 32 or any other suitable means for conveying an electrical signal to the VMU 100,” Juzswik [0048], “In step 352, the VMU 100 provides the requested media content to the vehicle occupants. For example, the VMU via the Wi-Fi Direct connection receives any suitable data associated with the requested file (e.g., the entire file or the streaming file) and provides it via the vehicle electronics. For example, if the file was the audio file "New Sensation," then the file is played to the vehicle occupants using the audio system 36. Of course, if the file were a video or multimedia file, it might be provided via the display 38 and/or audio system 36, etc.,” Juzswik [0050], speaker illustrated in Juzswik FIG. 1).
Claim 2: Juzswik discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the point-to-point electronic communication link is a wired communication link (see at least, “The mobile devices 96 may be used inside or outside of a mobile vehicle (such as the vehicle 12 shown in FIG. 1), and may be coupled to the vehicle by wire or wirelessly (e.g., using short range wireless communication),” Juzswik [0036]).
Claim 3: Juzswik discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the one or more media channels are audio channels; wherein the one or more media sources are audio sources; and wherein the one or more media sinks are audio sinks (see at least, “Audio system 36 provides audio output to a vehicle occupant and can be a dedicated, stand-alone system or part of the primary vehicle audio system. According to the particular embodiment shown here, audio system 36 is operatively coupled to both vehicle bus 44 and entertainment bus 46 and can provide AM, FM and satellite radio, CD, DVD and other multimedia functionality. This functionality can be provided in conjunction with or independent of the infotainment module described above,” Juzswik [0020], “In step 352, the VMU 100 provides the requested media content to the vehicle occupants. For example, the VMU via the Wi-Fi Direct connection receives any suitable data associated with the requested file (e.g., the entire file or the streaming file) and provides it via the vehicle electronics. For example, if the file was the audio file "New Sensation," then the file is played to the vehicle occupants using the audio system 36. Of course, if the file were a video or multimedia file, it might be provided via the display 38 and/or audio system 36, etc.,” Juzswik [0050]).
Claim 4: Juzswik discloses the method of claim 1, further comprising: processing, in the second device, a second media stream based on the one or more media sources to create the second stream of content for the one or more media channels (see at least, “In step 352, the VMU 100 provides the requested media content to the vehicle occupants. For example, the VMU via the Wi-Fi Direct connection receives any suitable data associated with the requested file (e.g., the entire file or the streaming file) and provides it via the vehicle electronics. For example, if the file was the audio file "New Sensation," then the file is played to the vehicle occupants using the audio system 36. Of course, if the file were a video or multimedia file, it might be provided via the display 38 and/or audio system 36, etc.,” Juzswik [0050]).
Claim 5: Juzswik discloses the method of claim 4, wherein the processing, in the first device, of the first media stream is by a first digital signal processor; and wherein the processing, in the second device, of the second media stream is by a second digital signal processor (see at least, “As shown in both FIGS. 1 and 2, the VMU 100 may include all suitable electronics, software, etc. for providing vehicle entertainment and vehicle infotainment services to the vehicle users and/or occupants including memory 102 coupled to a processor or processing device 104. The VMU 100 may be coupled to (and in communication with) the telematics unit 30; e.g., by wire (via bus 46) or wirelessly using wireless chipset 106 or both,” Juzswik [0022], “The hardware of the mobile devices 96 may comprise: a processor and memory (e.g., non-transitory computer readable medium configured to operate with the processor) for storing the software, firmware, etc. The mobile device processor and memory may enable various software applications, which may be preinstalled or installed by the user (or manufacturer) (e.g., having a software application or graphical user interface or GUI),” Juzswik [0031], “The method begins with step 304-configuring the VMU 100 for media services associated with mobile device 96. The configuration may include installation of and operability of application firmware and/or software at the VMU 100 (e.g., stored on memory 102 and having instructions executable by processor 104). For example, the instructions may include executing some or all of the remaining steps of the method described herein. In at least one implementation, the software application is suitably operable to: pre-associate with one or more mobile devices 96 that have Wi-Fi Direct capability (i.e., non-legacy devices); acquire and maintain a listing (or list) of non-legacy devices (e.g., a listing of potential MSPs); connect via Wi-Fi Direct with one or more mobile devices on the listing; request and receive metadata (i.e., index metadata) from the one or more mobile devices; and upon receiving an indication ( at the VMU) that a user 94 requests media services, providing a listing of the available media or media services based on the metadata from the connected mobile devices,” Juzswik [0041], Juzswik FIG. 2).
Claim 6: Juzswik discloses the method of claim 4, wherein the processing, in the second device, is conditioned on an enabling of a corresponding media signal processing feature (see at least, “In part, the media services are provided by indexing media metadata stored on the mobile device 96. This indexing is performed by the VMU 100; by performing the method, the VMU is able to more quickly and efficiently provide the media contents of one or mobile devices 96 to the occupants upon their request,” Juzswik [0038], “Providing media services includes providing of any media content from the mobile device(s) 96 to the VMU 100. Therefore, the mobile device(s) 96 may be considered media service providers (MSPs). The term media content should be construed broadly to include video data, audio data, and/or multi-media data; moreover, media content may pertain to information data (e.g., news, finance, advertising, education, science, industry, government, just to name a few information examples) and/or entertainment data (e.g., music, movies, gaming, television, just to name a few entertainment examples). The media content may be stored on any suitable memory in the mobile device(s) 96 or may be any content accessible by the mobile device(s) (e.g., accessible via the cloud or internet),” Juzswik [0039], “In all instances, the media content relevant to method 300 may have or be associated with metadata which may be acquired by the VMU 100, as will be described in more detail below,” Juzswik [0040]).
Claim 7: Juzswik discloses the method of claim 1, further comprising: generating, by the first device, a list of one or more media signal processing features for a user of the vehicle; and processing, by the first device, at least one media signal processing feature selected by the user from the list of one or more media signal processing features (see at least, “In part, the media services are provided by indexing media metadata stored on the mobile device 96. This indexing is performed by the VMU 100; by performing the method, the VMU is able to more quickly and efficiently provide the media contents of one or mobile devices 96 to the occupants upon their request,” Juzswik [0038], “upon receiving an indication (at the VMU) that a user 94 requests media services, providing a listing of the available media or media services based on the metadata from the connected mobile devices. Providing the listing may occur via the vehicle electronics 28 (e.g., via the VMU 100 which may include the audio system 36 and/or the display 38),” Juzswik [0041], “Following step 320, the method may perform indexing step 330. As illustrated in FIG. 3, indexing includes the VMU 100 capturing relevant metadata from the mobile device 96. Step 330 may comprise several sub-steps (332, 336, and 340). In step 332, the VMU may wirelessly request metadata from the mobile device via the Wi-Fi Direct connection. In at least one example, this request may be directed to media-related metadata or metadata related to media content. Examples of requested metadata may include metadata types or parameters such as a title, an author, a subject, a category, a date, a file type, a file size, etc. For example, if the media content is an audio file, the metadata could be the title "New Sensation," the author "INXS," the subject "music," the category "New Wave," the date "19 Oct. 1987," a file type "MP3," and the file size 2.12 MB. This of course is merely an example; the actual metadata and type of metadata will vary depending on the media content. Sub-step 336 may occur at the mobile device as the device 96 retrieves or gathers the requested metadata. And in sub-step 340, the mobile device 96 may send or transmit wirelessly the retrieved metadata to the VMU 100 where it may be received and stored in memory 102,” Juzswik [0045], “In step 352, the VMU 100 provides the requested media content to the vehicle occupants. For example, the VMU via the Wi-Fi Direct connection receives any suitable data associated with the requested file (e.g., the entire file or the streaming file) and provides it via the vehicle electronics. For example, if the file was the audio file "New Sensation," then the file is played to the vehicle occupants using the audio system 36. Of course, if the file were a video or multimedia file, it might be provided via the display 38 and/or audio system 36, etc.,” Juzswik [0050], “In another embodiment, the method may receive an indication that the vehicle occupant desires media services and provide a list or listing of available media. For example, instead of the indication resulting in the providing of a specific file, the indication may result in providing a media content listing (i.e., all of the media files available on any of the mobile devices currently connected),” Juzswik [0052]).
Claim 8: Juzswik discloses the method of claim 1, further comprising: determining, by the first device, whether at least one media signal processing feature is available to the second device (see at least, “In step 344, the VMU 100 may receive an indication that the vehicle occupant 94 has requested media services more specifically, media services which are available using the mobile device 96. The indication may be received as a user request or selection via any of the vehicle electronics 28; e.g., via a pushbutton 34 (e.g., on the VMU) or via a touch screen input (e.g., via the display 38 or VMU) or a voice control input via the microphone 32 or any other suitable means for conveying an electrical signal to the VMU 100,” Juzswik [0048], “In step 352, the VMU 100 provides the requested media content to the vehicle occupants. For example, the VMU via the Wi-Fi Direct connection receives any suitable data associated with the requested file (e.g., the entire file or the streaming file) and provides it via the vehicle electronics. For example, if the file was the audio file "New Sensation," then the file is played to the vehicle occupants using the audio system 36. Of course, if the file were a video or multimedia file, it might be provided via the display 38 and/or audio system 36, etc.,” Juzswik [0050], “In another embodiment, the method may receive an indication that the vehicle occupant desires media services and provide a list or listing of available media. For example, instead of the indication resulting in the providing of a specific file, the indication may result in providing a media content listing (i.e., all of the media files available on any of the mobile devices currently connected),” Juzswik [0052]).
Claim 9: Juzswik discloses the method of claim 1, further comprising: downloading, by the second device, at least one selected media signal processing feature from a source external to the vehicle (see at least, “In step 352, the VMU 100 provides the requested media content to the vehicle occupants. For example, the VMU via the Wi-Fi Direct connection receives any suitable data associated with the requested file (e.g., the entire file or the streaming file) and provides it via the vehicle electronics. For example, if the file was the audio file "New Sensation," then the file is played to the vehicle occupants using the audio system 36. Of course, if the file were a video or multimedia file, it might be provided via the display 38 and/or audio system 36, etc.,” Juzswik [0050).
Claim 12: Juzswik discloses a system for media signal processing for a vehicle (see at least, “With reference to FIG. 1, there is shown an operating environment that comprises a mobile vehicle communications system 10 and that can be used to implement the method disclosed herein,” Juzswik [0012], Juzswik FIG. 1), comprising:
one or more media source devices (see at least, “Conventional vehicle head units enable vehicle users to play audio, e.g., via analog or digital AM/FM radio stations and/or stored media (such as compact discs and solid state devices). More recently, vehicle head units provide other data including XM or satellite radio and GPS data via onboard navigation units,” Juzswik [0002], “Audio system 36 provides audio output to a vehicle occupant and can be a dedicated, stand-alone system or part of the primary vehicle audio system. According to the particular embodiment shown here, audio system 36 is operatively coupled to both vehicle bus 44 and entertainment bus 46 and can provide AM, FM and satellite radio, CD, DVD and other multimedia functionality. This functionality can be provided in conjunction with or independent of the infotainment module described above,” Juzswik [0020], “Providing media services includes providing of any media content from the mobile device(s) 96 to the VMU 100. Therefore, the mobile device(s) 96 may be considered media service providers (MSPs ). The term media content should be construed broadly to include video data, audio data, and/or multi-media data; moreover, media content may pertain to information data (e.g., news, finance, advertising, education, science, industry, government, just to name a few information examples) and/or entertainment data (e.g., music, movies, gaming, television, just to name a few entertainment examples). The media content may be stored on any suitable memory in the mobile device(s) 96 or may be any content accessible by the mobile device(s) (e.g., accessible via the cloud or internet),” Juzswik [0039]); one or more media sink devices (see at least, speaker illustrated in Juzswik FIG. 1); a first device installed in the vehicle, the first device having an output interface coupled to the one or more media sink devices (see at least, “using vehicle electronics that include a vehicle multi-tainment unit (VMU),” Juzswik [0003], “Vehicle electronics 28 also includes a number of vehicle user interfaces that provide vehicle occupants with a means of providing and/or receiving information, including microphone 32, pushbuttons(s) 34, audio system 36, and visual display 38,” [0020], “The vehicle electronics 28 may also include the vehicle multi-tainment unit (VMU) 100 which may be a separate module or may include some of the vehicle electronics previously discussed (e.g., the audio system 36, the visual display 38, etc.) (see also FIG. 2),” Juzswik [0021], “Thus, in some instances, the VMU 100 may be integrated (e.g., a fixture) within the vehicle 12,” Juzswik [0021], speaker illustrated in Juzswik FIG. 1); one or more processors; and a non-transitory memory having executable instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to (see at least, “Processor 52 can be any type of device capable of processing electronic instructions including microprocessors, microcontrollers, host processors, controllers, vehicle communication processors, and application specific integrated circuits (ASICs). It can be a dedicated processor used only for telematics unit 30 or can be shared with other vehicle systems. Processor 52 executes various types of digitally stored instructions, such as software or firmware programs stored in memory 54, which enable the telematics unit to provide a wide variety of services. For instance, processor 52 can execute programs or process data to carry out at least a part of the method discussed herein,” Juzswik [0016], “The method(s) discussed above may be performed as one or more computer programs executable by the VMU 100 to cause the system to perform the method. The various method related data may be stored in any suitable memory (e.g., memory 102 at the VMU or any other suitable memory). The computer program may exist as one or more software program(s) comprised of program instructions in source code, object code, executable code or other formats; firmware program(s); or hardware description language (HDL) files. Any of the above can be embodied on a computer usable or readable medium, which include one or more storage devices or articles. Exemplary computer usable storage devices (such as memory 102) include conventional computer system RAM (random access memory), ROM (read only memory), EPROM ( erasable, programmable ROM), EEPROM (electrically erasable, programmable ROM), and magnetic or optical disks or tapes. It is therefore to be understood that the methods may be at least partially performed by any electronic device(s) capable of executing the above-described functions,” Juzswik [0053]):
establish a point-to-point electronic communication link between the first device and a second device carried by the vehicle (see at least, “The method begins with step 304-configuring the VMU 100 for media services associated with mobile device 96. The configuration may include installation of and operability of application firmware and/or software at the VMU 100 (e.g., stored on memory 102 and having instructions executable by processor 104). For example, the instructions may include executing some or all of the remaining steps of the method described herein. In at least one implementation, the software application is suitably operable to: pre-associate with one or more mobile devices 96 that have Wi-Fi Direct capability (i.e., non-legacy devices); acquire and maintain a listing (or list) of non-legacy devices (e.g., a listing of potential MSPs); connect via Wi-Fi Direct with one or more mobile devices on the listing; request and receive metadata (i.e., index metadata) from the one or more mobile devices; and upon receiving an indication (at the VMU) that a user 94 requests media services, providing a listing of the available media or media services based on the metadata from the connected mobile devices,” Juzswik [0041, “using vehicle electronics that include a vehicle multi-tainment unit (VMU),” Juzswik [0003], “Vehicle electronics 28 also includes a number of vehicle user interfaces that provide vehicle occupants with a means of providing and/or receiving information, including microphone 32, pushbuttons(s) 34, audio system 36, and visual display 38,” [0020], “The vehicle electronics 28 may also include the vehicle multi-tainment unit (VMU) 100 which may be a separate module or may include some of the vehicle electronics previously discussed (e.g., the audio system 36, the visual display 38, etc.) (see also FIG. 2),” Juzswik [0021], “Thus, in some instances, the VMU 100 may be integrated (e.g., a fixture) within the vehicle 12,” Juzswik [0021], “identifying one or more mobile devices at the vehicle,” Juzswik [0003]);
identify, by a communication between the first device and the second device, one or more media channels for which the first device is to receive streaming content from the second device (see at least, “In part, the media services are provided by indexing media metadata stored on the mobile device 96. This indexing is performed by the VMU 100; by performing the method, the VMU is able to more quickly and efficiently provide the media contents of one or mobile devices 96 to the occupants upon their request,” Juzswik [0038], “Providing media services includes providing of any media content from the mobile device(s) 96 to the VMU 100. Therefore, the mobile device(s) 96 may be considered media service providers (MSPs). The term media content should be construed broadly to include video data, audio data, and/or multi-media data; moreover, media content may pertain to information data (e.g., news, finance, advertising, education, science, industry, government, just to name a few information examples) and/or entertainment data (e.g., music, movies, gaming, television, just to name a few entertainment examples). The media content may be stored on any suitable memory in the mobile device(s) 96 or may be any content accessible by the mobile device(s) (e.g., accessible via the cloud or internet),” Juzswik [0039], “In all instances, the media content relevant to method 300 may have or be associated with metadata which may be acquired by the VMU 100, as will be described in more detail below,” Juzswik [0040]);
process, in the first device, a first media stream from the one or more media source devices to create a first stream of content for the one or more media channels (see at least, “Audio system 36 provides audio output to a vehicle occupant and can be a dedicated, stand-alone system or part of the primary vehicle audio system. According to the particular embodiment shown here, audio system 36 is operatively coupled to both vehicle bus 44 and entertainment bus 46 and can provide AM, FM and satellite radio, CD, DVD and other multimedia functionality. This functionality can be provided in conjunction with or independent of the infotainment module described above,” Juzswik [0020]);
process, in the second device, a second media stream from the one or more media source devices to create a second stream of content for the one or more media channels (see at least, “In step 352, the VMU 100 provides the requested media content to the vehicle occupants. For example, the VMU via the Wi-Fi Direct connection receives any suitable data associated with the requested file (e.g., the entire file or the streaming file) and provides it via the vehicle electronics. For example, if the file was the audio file "New Sensation," then the file is played to the vehicle occupants using the audio system 36. Of course, if the file were a video or multimedia file, it might be provided via the display 38 and/or audio system 36, etc.,” Juzswik [0050]);
provide, from the second device over the point-to-point electronic communication link to the first device, the second stream of content for the one or more media channels (see at least, “In step 352, the VMU 100 provides the requested media content to the vehicle occupants. For example, the VMU via the Wi-Fi Direct connection receives any suitable data associated with the requested file (e.g., the entire file or the streaming file) and provides it via the vehicle electronics. For example, if the file was the audio file "New Sensation," then the file is played to the vehicle occupants using the audio system 36. Of course, if the file were a video or multimedia file, it might be provided via the display 38 and/or audio system 36, etc.,” Juzswik [0050]); and
select, at the first device, between providing the first stream of content or the second stream of content to the output interface (see at least, “Conventional vehicle head units enable vehicle users to play audio, e.g., via analog or digital AM/FM radio stations and/or stored media (such as compact discs and solid state devices). More recently, vehicle head units provide other data including XM or satellite radio and GPS data via onboard navigation units,” Juzswik [0002], “Audio system 36 provides audio output to a vehicle occupant and can be a dedicated, stand-alone system or part of the primary vehicle audio system. According to the particular embodiment shown here, audio system 36 is operatively coupled to both vehicle bus 44 and entertainment bus 46 and can provide AM, FM and satellite radio, CD, DVD and other multimedia functionality. This functionality can be provided in conjunction with or independent of the infotainment module described above,” Juzswik [0020], “In step 344, the VMU 100 may receive an indication that the vehicle occupant 94 has requested media services more specifically, media services which are available using the mobile device 96. The indication may be received as a user request or selection via any of the vehicle electronics 28; e.g., via a pushbutton 34 (e.g., on the VMU) or via a touch screen input (e.g., via the display 38 or VMU) or a voice control input via the microphone 32 or any other suitable means for conveying an electrical signal to the VMU 100,” Juzswik [0048], “In step 352, the VMU 100 provides the requested media content to the vehicle occupants. For example, the VMU via the Wi-Fi Direct connection receives any suitable data associated with the requested file (e.g., the entire file or the streaming file) and provides it via the vehicle electronics. For example, if the file was the audio file "New Sensation," then the file is played to the vehicle occupants using the audio system 36. Of course, if the file were a video or multimedia file, it might be provided via the display 38 and/or audio system 36, etc.,” Juzswik [0050], speaker illustrated in Juzswik FIG. 1).
Claims 13 – 16 are substantially similar in scope to claims 2, 3, 5, and 6, respectively, and therefore are rejected for the same reasons.
Claim 18: Juzswik discloses a system for media signal processing for a vehicle (see at least, “With reference to FIG. 1, there is shown an operating environment that comprises a mobile vehicle communications system 10 and that can be used to implement the method disclosed herein,” Juzswik [0012], Juzswik FIG. 1), comprising:
one or more media source devices (see at least, “Conventional vehicle head units enable vehicle users to play audio, e.g., via analog or digital AM/FM radio stations and/or stored media (such as compact discs and solid state devices). More recently, vehicle head units provide other data including XM or satellite radio and GPS data via onboard navigation units,” Juzswik [0002], “Audio system 36 provides audio output to a vehicle occupant and can be a dedicated, stand-alone system or part of the primary vehicle audio system. According to the particular embodiment shown here, audio system 36 is operatively coupled to both vehicle bus 44 and entertainment bus 46 and can provide AM, FM and satellite radio, CD, DVD and other multimedia functionality. This functionality can be provided in conjunction with or independent of the infotainment module described above,” Juzswik [0020], “Providing media services includes providing of any media content from the mobile device(s) 96 to the VMU 100. Therefore, the mobile device(s) 96 may be considered media service providers (MSPs ). The term media content should be construed broadly to include video data, audio data, and/or multi-media data; moreover, media content may pertain to information data (e.g., news, finance, advertising, education, science, industry, government, just to name a few information examples) and/or entertainment data (e.g., music, movies, gaming, television, just to name a few entertainment examples). The media content may be stored on any suitable memory in the mobile device(s) 96 or may be any content accessible by the mobile device(s) (e.g., accessible via the cloud or internet),” Juzswik [0039]); one or more media sink devices (see at least, speaker illustrated in Juzswik FIG. 1); a first device installed in the vehicle, the first device having an output interface coupled to the one or more media sink devices (see at least, “using vehicle electronics that include a vehicle multi-tainment unit (VMU),” Juzswik [0003], “Vehicle electronics 28 also includes a number of vehicle user interfaces that provide vehicle occupants with a means of providing and/or receiving information, including microphone 32, pushbuttons(s) 34, audio system 36, and visual display 38,” [0020], “The vehicle electronics 28 may also include the vehicle multi-tainment unit (VMU) 100 which may be a separate module or may include some of the vehicle electronics previously discussed (e.g., the audio system 36, the visual display 38, etc.) (see also FIG. 2),” Juzswik [0021], “Thus, in some instances, the VMU 100 may be integrated (e.g., a fixture) within the vehicle 12,” Juzswik [0021], speaker illustrated in Juzswik FIG. 1); one or more processors; and a non-transitory memory having executable instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to (see at least, “Processor 52 can be any type of device capable of processing electronic instructions including microprocessors, microcontrollers, host processors, controllers, vehicle communication processors, and application specific integrated circuits (ASICs). It can be a dedicated processor used only for telematics unit 30 or can be shared with other vehicle systems. Processor 52 executes various types of digitally stored instructions, such as software or firmware programs stored in memory 54, which enable the telematics unit to provide a wide variety of services. For instance, processor 52 can execute programs or process data to carry out at least a part of the method discussed herein,” Juzswik [0016], “The method(s) discussed above may be performed as one or more computer programs executable by the VMU 100 to cause the system to perform the method. The various method related data may be stored in any suitable memory (e.g., memory 102 at the VMU or any other suitable memory). The computer program may exist as one or more software program(s) comprised of program instructions in source code, object code, executable code or other formats; firmware program(s); or hardware description language (HDL) files. Any of the above can be embodied on a computer usable or readable medium, which include one or more storage devices or articles. Exemplary computer usable storage devices (such as memory 102) include conventional computer system RAM (random access memory), ROM (read only memory), EPROM ( erasable, programmable ROM), EEPROM (electrically erasable, programmable ROM), and magnetic or optical disks or tapes. It is therefore to be understood that the methods may be at least partially performed by any electronic device(s) capable of executing the above-described functions,” Juzswik [0053]):
establish a point-to-point electronic communication link between the first device and a second device (see at least, “The method begins with step 304-configuring the VMU 100 for media services associated with mobile device 96. The configuration may include installation of and operability of application firmware and/or software at the VMU 100 (e.g., stored on memory 102 and having instructions executable by processor 104). For example, the instructions may include executing some or all of the remaining steps of the method described herein. In at least one implementation, the software application is suitably operable to: pre-associate with one or more mobile devices 96 that have Wi-Fi Direct capability (i.e., non-legacy devices); acquire and maintain a listing (or list) of non-legacy devices (e.g., a listing of potential MSPs); connect via Wi-Fi Direct with one or more mobile devices on the listing; request and receive metadata (i.e., index metadata) from the one or more mobile devices; and upon receiving an indication (at the VMU) that a user 94 requests media services, providing a listing of the available media or media services based on the metadata from the connected mobile devices,” Juzswik [0041, “using vehicle electronics that include a vehicle multi-tainment unit (VMU),” Juzswik [0003], “Vehicle electronics 28 also includes a number of vehicle user interfaces that provide vehicle occupants with a means of providing and/or receiving information, including microphone 32, pushbuttons(s) 34, audio system 36, and visual display 38,” [0020], “The vehicle electronics 28 may also include the vehicle multi-tainment unit (VMU) 100 which may be a separate module or may include some of the vehicle electronics previously discussed (e.g., the audio system 36, the visual display 38, etc.) (see also FIG. 2),” Juzswik [0021], “Thus, in some instances, the VMU 100 may be integrated (e.g., a fixture) within the vehicle 12,” Juzswik [0021], “identifying one or more mobile devices at the vehicle,” Juzswik [0003]);
identify, by a communication between the first device and the second device, one or more media channels for which the first device is to receive streaming content from the second device (see at least, “In part, the media services are provided by indexing media metadata stored on the mobile device 96. This indexing is performed by the VMU 100; by performing the method, the VMU is able to more quickly and efficiently provide the media contents of one or mobile devices 96 to the occupants upon their request,” Juzswik [0038], “Providing media services includes providing of any media content from the mobile device(s) 96 to the VMU 100. Therefore, the mobile device(s) 96 may be considered media service providers (MSPs). The term media content should be construed broadly to include video data, audio data, and/or multi-media data; moreover, media content may pertain to information data (e.g., news, finance, advertising, education, science, industry, government, just to name a few information examples) and/or entertainment data (e.g., music, movies, gaming, television, just to name a few entertainment examples). The media content may be stored on any suitable memory in the mobile device(s) 96 or may be any content accessible by the mobile device(s) (e.g., accessible via the cloud or internet),” Juzswik [0039], “In all instances, the media content relevant to method 300 may have or be associated with metadata which may be acquired by the VMU 100, as will be described in more detail below,” Juzswik [0040]);
process, in the first device, a first media stream from the one or more media source devices to create a first stream of content for the one or more media channels (see at least, “Audio system 36 provides audio output to a vehicle occupant and can be a dedicated, stand-alone system or part of the primary vehicle audio system. According to the particular embodiment shown here, audio system 36 is operatively coupled to both vehicle bus 44 and entertainment bus 46 and can provide AM, FM and satellite radio, CD, DVD and other multimedia functionality. This functionality can be provided in conjunction with or independent of the infotainment module described above,” Juzswik [0020]);
receive, from the second device over the point-to-point electronic communication link to the first device, a second stream of content for the one or more media channels (see at least, “In step 352, the VMU 100 provides the requested media content to the vehicle occupants. For example, the VMU via the Wi-Fi Direct connection receives any suitable data associated with the requested file (e.g., the entire file or the streaming file) and provides it via the vehicle electronics. For example, if the file was the audio file "New Sensation," then the file is played to the vehicle occupants using the audio system 36. Of course, if the file were a video or multimedia file, it might be provided via the display 38 and/or audio system 36, etc.,” Juzswik [0050]); and
select, at the first device, between providing the first stream of content or the second stream of content to the output interface (see at least, “Conventional vehicle head units enable vehicle users to play audio, e.g., via analog or digital AM/FM radio stations and/or stored media (such as compact discs and solid state devices). More recently, vehicle head units provide other data including XM or satellite radio and GPS data via onboard navigation units,” Juzswik [0002], “Audio system 36 provides audio output to a vehicle occupant and can be a dedicated, stand-alone system or part of the primary vehicle audio system. According to the particular embodiment shown here, audio system 36 is operatively coupled to both vehicle bus 44 and entertainment bus 46 and can provide AM, FM and satellite radio, CD, DVD and other multimedia functionality. This functionality can be provided in conjunction with or independent of the infotainment module described above,” Juzswik [0020], “In step 344, the VMU 100 may receive an indication that the vehicle occupant 94 has requested media services more specifically, media services which are available using the mobile device 96. The indication may be received as a user request or selection via any of the vehicle electronics 28; e.g., via a pushbutton 34 (e.g., on the VMU) or via a touch screen input (e.g., via the display 38 or VMU) or a voice control input via the microphone 32 or any other suitable means for conveying an electrical signal to the VMU 100,” Juzswik [0048], “In step 352, the VMU 100 provides the requested media content to the vehicle occupants. For example, the VMU via the Wi-Fi Direct connection receives any suitable data associated with the requested file (e.g., the entire file or the streaming file) and provides it via the vehicle electronics. For example, if the file was the audio file "New Sensation," then the file is played to the vehicle occupants using the audio system 36. Of course, if the file were a video or multimedia file, it might be provided via the display 38 and/or audio system 36, etc.,” Juzswik [0050], speaker illustrated in Juzswik FIG. 1).
Claims 19 and 20 are substantially similar in scope to claims 3 and 4, respectively, and therefore are rejected for the same reasons.
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.
Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Juzswik in view of Michalski et al. (US 2015/0220223 A1), hereinafter Michalski.
Claim 10: Juzswik discloses the method of claim 1, but does not disclose further comprising: while switching between providing the first stream of content to the output interface and providing the second stream of content to the output interface, adjusting the first stream of content by a first time-varying gain to produce a first adjusted stream of content, adjusting the second stream of content by a second time-varying gain to produce a second adjusted stream of content, adding the first adjusted stream of content and the second adjusted stream of content to produce a stream of summed adjusted output content, and providing the stream of summed adjusted output content to the output interface. However, Michalski discloses a similar invention regarding selecting content tracks from two or more program channels to automatically generate a blended mix channel for playback to a user. Michalski further discloses while switching between providing the first stream of content to the output interface and providing the second stream of content to the output interface, adjusting the first stream of content by a first time-varying gain to produce a first adjusted stream of content, adjusting the second stream of content by a second time-varying gain to produce a second adjusted stream of content, adding the first adjusted stream of content and the second adjusted stream of content to produce a stream of summed adjusted output content, and providing the stream of summed adjusted output content to the output interface (see at least, “The sources 252 of stored content can be part of radio receiver 14 or a separate device such as a media player or smart phone. Individual pieces of audio content pulled from two or more buffered satellite radio channels or from a combination of at least two buffers or databases or recorded media (such as CD) indicated generally at 254 are provided to a head unit or processing device 14 to produce a Mix Channel by alternating sources of audio content on a segment by segment basis ( e.g., song by song, track by track) and optionally blending or cross-fading the audio segments from different sources to provide a more seamless listening experience,” Michalski [0186], “For example, a Mix Channel can be created wherein an artificial fade-in and fade-out is inserted by the radio receiver or user device 14 during playback to smooth the transition between audio segments originating from different sources such as a buffered SDARS or FM channel and an MP3 database. Alternatively, the playback of the alternating content segments from the Mix Channel buffer (e.g., the Mix Channel buffer comprising the content buffer 112 for the buffered received content, and memory for storing a song database) is slightly overlapped using a crossfade technique to simultaneously fade the last few seconds of one piece of content while ramping up the first few seconds of a second piece of content to more closely simulate the experience of listening to a normal channel,” Michalski [0187]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the aforementioned features of Michalski in the invention of Juzswik thereby allowing for “cross-fading the audio segments from the different sources to provide a more seamless listening experience,” Michalski [0187].
Claim(s) 11 and 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Juzswik in view of Nicholson et al. (US 6,330,337 B1), hereinafter Nicholson.
Claim 11: Juzswik discloses the method of claim 1, but does not disclose further comprising: providing, from the first device over the point-to-point electronic communication link to the second device, an intermediate media stream of the first device based on the first media stream. However, Nicholson discloses a similar automative entertainment system and further discloses providing, from the first device over the point-to-point electronic communication link to the second device, an intermediate media stream of the first device based on the first media stream (see at least, “Details of the main control unit and the rear seat entertainment module are shown in FIG. 2. The front main control unit 10 includes a tuner 35 and a media mechanism 36 such as an audio cassette player or a single disc CD player. A front channel audio processor 37 provides front audio signals to speakers 20 and 21. A rear channel audio processor 38 provides rear audio signals to a rear speaker audio line 40 connected to RSEM 15. A first source selector switch 41 has its output connected to the input of front channel audio processor 37 and a second source selector switch 42 has its output connected to the input of rear channel audio processor 38. Selector switches 41 and 42 each have respective inputs connected to the output of tuner 35, media mechanism 36, and an audio outline 43 from RSEM 15. Selector switches 41 and 42 are controlled by a microcontroller (not shown) in main control unit 10 and may be independently controlled to implement a dual play mode in which front and rear seat passengers listen to different sources. Single play mode is obtained by setting selector 50 switches 41 and 42 to the same source. The selector switches are preferably comprised of electronic switches,” Nicholson Column 3 Lines 32 – 52, Nicholson FIGS. 1 – 3). It would have been obvious to one or ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the aforementioned teachings of Nicholson in the invention of Juzswik thereby allowing for rear seat entertainment with rear speaker audio with configurable source selections.
Claim 17 is substantially similar in scope to claim 11 and therefore is rejected for the same reasons.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOSEPH SAUNDERS whose telephone number is (571)270-1063. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday, 9:00 a.m. - 4 p.m., EST.
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/JOSEPH SAUNDERS JR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2692
