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
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 1-5 and 8-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Elko et al. (US Pub. No. 2019/0246203).
Regarding claim 1, with respect to Figures 1-10, Elko teaches a method for collecting a spatial audio, performed by a user equipment (UE), wherein microphone arrays are arranged in the UE, maximum response directions of the microphone arrays are orthogonal to each other, and the method comprises:
performing differential beamforming processing on a microphone signal collected by the microphone arrays to obtain a spatial audio signal (figs. 1, 3, 6-10; paragraphs 0008, 0036-0102, 0134-0171) (Note; Elko teaches that the smallest number of pressure microphones that span 3D space for up to first-order operation is four microphones, which are in a tetrahedral arrangement. A zeroth-order monopole and three first-order orthogonal dipole components define an ambisonics "B-Format" spatial audio recording scheme. A computationally simple way to form a general first-order differential microphone is to form a scalar combination of forward-facing and backward-facing cardioid signals. Cardioid signals can be formed from two omnidirectional microphones by including a delay before the subtraction. The delay is obtained on the basis of
interpolation filtering. Front-end matching filters 606₁ and 606₂ enable compensation for mismatch between microphones 602₁ and 602₂. Figure 7 shows microphone array configurations to obtain B-format signals on a mobile device such as a cell phone. An audio system 800 can be used to process audio signals from three orthogonal pairs of microphones to generate a B-format audio output comprising mutually orthogonal X, y, and Z component dipole signals and an omnidirectional signal. Two microphone signals from microphones 752 and 753, 751 and 752 and 754 and 755 can be applied as two input microphone signals 803 to audio subsystems
801₁, 802₂ and 803₃ to generate an x-component signal 821 1, a y-component signal 821₂ and a z-component signal 8213. A memory is provided. Program code is embodied in a machine-readable storage medium and implemented on a general-purpose processor.).
Regarding claim 2, Elko teaches that the program instructions to initiate display of measures of attentiveness of the audience over time includes an indication of whether the speaker has lost the audience wherein performing differential beamforming processing on the microphone signal collected by the microphone arrays to obtain the spatial audio signal comprises:
adding appropriate delay filtering and a corresponding compensation filter to the microphone signal to obtain an array signal with a required directivity (figs. 3, 6, 7, 10; paragraphs 0044-0047, 0052-0054, 0062, 0064, 0070, 0071, 0080, 0108); and
decoding the array signal to obtain the spatial audio signal (figs. 3, 6, 7, 10; paragraphs 0044-0047, 0052-0054, 0062, 0064, 0070, 0071, 0080, 0108).
Regarding claim 3, Elko teaches acquiring directivities of the microphone arrays, wherein each of the directivities represents sensitivity of signals in different directions (figs. 2-4; paragraphs 0041, 0045, 0052, 0059, 0076, 0077, 0085, 0113, 0128) (Note; in paragraph 0076, Elko teaches This averaged signal can then be combined with the audio signal from either microphone 707 or microphone 708 (or a second effective microphone signal corresponding to a weighted average of the audio signals from microphones 707 and 708) to obtain a dipole signal that has a pressure response that is aligned with the y axis. Whereas in paragraph 0077, Elko also teaches that all three computed dipole component signals can have different sensitivities as well as different frequency responses, and that these differences can be compensated for with an appropriate equalization post-filter on each dipole signal.).
Regarding claim 4, Elko teaches acquiring differential arrays of the directivities; and
acquiring a required directivity in a three-dimensional space by combining the differential arrays, to obtain the spatial audio signal (figs. 2-4, 8; paragraphs 0008, 0067, 0068, 0081, 0099, 0117, 0124, 0133).
Regarding claim 5, Elko teaches decoding the spatial audio signal to an ambisonic audio (paragraphs 0007, 0036, 0100, 0132).
Claims 9 and 11 are rejected for the same reasons as discussed above with respect to claim 1. Furthermore, Elko teaches a spatial audio collection apparatus, comprising: a processor (paragraphs 0139, 0159, 0160, 0165); and
a memory storing instructions executable by the processor, wherein the processor is configured to perform (paragraphs 0169-0172).
Claim 10 is rejected for the same reasons as discussed above with respect to claim 9. Furthermore, Elko teaches a communication device, comprising: a transceiver and a processor, connected to the transceiver and the memory respectively, and configured to perform the method (paragraphs 0002, 0052, 0057, 0074, 0119, 0132, 0133, 0137, 0138, 0169-0172) (Note; Since cell phone transmits and receives data, a transceiver is a component property of the cell phone).
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.
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Elko et al. (US Pub. No. 2019/0246203) in view of Zhang et al. (U.S. Pub. No. 2010/0179806).
Regarding claim 6, Elko does not specifically teach filtering the microphone signal to obtain a low-frequency component and a high- frequency component, wherein the low-frequency component is output as a low-frequency effect, and the high- frequency component is used to form the spatial audio signal. Zhang teaches filtering the microphone signal to obtain a low-frequency component and a high- frequency component, wherein the low-frequency component is output as a low-frequency effect, and the high- frequency component is used to form the calibrated signal [i.e., spatial audio signal] (abstract; fig.3; paragraphs 0004, 0005, 0007-0009, 0018, 0019-0022). Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Elko to incorporate the feature of filtering the microphone signal to obtain a low-frequency component and a high- frequency component, wherein the low-frequency component is output as a low-frequency effect, and the high- frequency component is used to form the spatial audio signal in Elko’s invention as taught by Zhang. The motivation for the modification is to do so in order to provide a phase mismatch calibration required for an array microphone.
Claims 7 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Elko et al. (US Pub. No. 2019/0246203).
Regarding claim 7, Elko does not specifically teach wherein the microphone arrays are arranged in the UE through any one of following manners: the microphone arrays are arranged at a position close to a human voice collection component in the UE; or the microphone arrays are arranged at a position close to an image collection component in the UE. Examiner takes an official notice that wherein the microphone arrays are arranged in the UE through any one of following manners: the microphone arrays are arranged at a position close to a human voice collection component in the UE; or the microphone arrays are arranged at a position close to an image collection component in the UE is well known in the art. Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Elko to incorporate the feature of wherein the microphone arrays are arranged in the UE through any one of following manners: the microphone arrays are arranged at a position close to a human voice collection component in the UE; or the microphone arrays are arranged at a position close to an image collection component in the UE in Elko’s invention as taught by Zhang. The motivation for the modification is to do so in order to provide a flexibility of having microphone arrays close to a particular position such that a benefit of the position of the microphone arrays can be achieved.
Regarding claim 8, Elko teaches wherein the microphone arrays comprise a predetermined number of microphones, the predetermined number of microphones form three microphone arrays, the three microphone arrays are orthogonal to each other (paragraphs 0008, 0036-0102, 0134-0171).
However, Elko does not specifically teach that the three microphone arrays are centers of the three microphone arrays coincide or a distance between the centers does not exceed an error threshold. Examiner takes an official notice that the three microphone arrays are centers of the three microphone arrays coincide or a distance between the centers does not exceed an error threshold is well known in the art. Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Elko to incorporate the feature of the three microphone arrays are being centers of the three microphone arrays coincide or a distance between the centers does not exceed an error threshold in Elko’s invention as taught by Zhang. The motivation for the modification is to do so in order to get benefit of arranging of the microphone arrays to have their centers coincide or approximately coincide.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Md S. Elahee whose telephone number is (571) 272-7536. The examiner can normally be reached on Mon to Fri from 8:30am to 5:00pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Carolyn R. Edwards can be reached on (571) 270-7136. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is (571) 273-8300.
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/MD S ELAHEE/
MD SHAFIUL ALAM ELAHEE
Primary Examiner,
Art Unit 2694
September 18, 2026
