Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
DETAILED ACTION
Introduction
This action responds to the application 19/170, 694 filed on 04-04-2025.
Claims 1-15 are pending.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
3. In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
4. 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.
5. Claims 1-7, 9-12 and 14-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a (1) as being anticipated by Kimi et al. (US 2020/0135213).
Consider Claim 1, Kim teaches a method of processing an audio signal, the method comprising:
obtaining (see figs 1. 10(100))) an audio signal; transmitting the obtained audio signal to an external electronic device(see fig. 10(1000);
receiving(see fig. 10)), from the external electronic device, information for adjusting an artificial intelligence model configured to process the obtained audio signal in real time (see figs.1-8 and paragraphs [0044]-[0054]);
inputting the received information and the obtained audio signal to the artificial intelligence model to adjust the artificial intelligence model (see figs.1-8 and paragraphs [0055]-[0067]);
inputting the obtained audio signal to the adjusted artificial intelligence model to obtain a processed audio signal; and reproducing the processed audio signal(see figs.1-8, figs.10-13 and paragraphs [0183]-[0205])..
Consider Claims 2 and 3, Kim teaches the method wherein the adjusting of the artificial intelligence model comprises inputting the obtained information and the obtained audio signal to the artificial intelligence model to adjust a filter configured to extract the obtained audio signal through filtering(see figs.1-8 and paragraphs [0044]-[0054]); and the method wherein the external electronic device is a mobile device, wherein the transmitting of the obtained audio signal to the external electronic device is performed via wireless communication, and wherein the receiving of the information from the external electronic device is performed via wireless communication(see figs.1-8 and paragraphs [0067]-[0077]).
Consider Claims 4 and 5, Kim teaches the method wherein the information for adjusting an artificial intelligence model comprises at least one of a target signal for training the artificial intelligence model, information about an acoustic environment, or information about a task to be performed in the artificial intelligence model(see figs.1-8 and paragraphs [0044]-[0054]); and the method wherein the artificial intelligence model is configured to perform at least one of selective listening, active noise cancellation, acoustic echo cancellation, ambient pass-though, beamforming, or adaptive filtering(see figs.1-8, figs.10-13 and paragraphs [0117]-[0127])..
Consider Claim 6, Kim teaches an electronic device for reproducing audio(see fig. 3(100)) comprising:
a microphone(see fig. 3(111)); a speaker(see fig. 3(170)); a communication interface(see fig. 3(120)) configured to communicate with an external electronic device(see fig. 10(1000); memory(see fig. 3(130)) configured to store instructions; and at least one processor(see fig. 3(14)) functionally coupled to the microphone(111), the speaker, the communication interface(see fig. 3(120)), and the memory, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to:
obtain an audio signal through the microphone(see fig. 3(111)),
transmit the obtained audio signal to the external electronic device(see fig. 10(1000))(see fig. 3(120)) through the communication interface,
receive, from the external electronic device through the communication interface, information for adjusting an artificial intelligence model configured to process the obtained audio signal in real time(see figs.1-8 and paragraphs [0044]-[0054]);
input the received information and the obtained audio signal to the artificial intelligence model to adjust the artificial intelligence model(see figs.1-8 and paragraphs [0055]-[0067]);, input the obtained audio signal to the adjusted artificial intelligence model to obtain a processed audio signal, and reproduce the processed audio signal through the speaker(see figs.1-8, figs.10-13 and paragraphs [0183]-[0205]).
Consider Claims 7 and 9, Kim teaches the electronic device of the electronic device of wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to: inputting the obtained information and the obtained audio signal to the artificial intelligence model to adjust a filter configured to extract the obtained audio signal through filtering(see figs.1-8 and paragraphs [0044]-[0054]); and the electronic device of the electronic device of wherein the information for adjusting an artificial intelligence model comprises at least one of a target signal for training the artificial intelligence model, information about an acoustic environment, or information about a task to be perforrned in the artificial intelligence model(see figs.1-8 and paragraphs [0044]-[0054])..
Consider Claim 10, Kim teaches the electronic device of the electronic device of wherein the artificial intelligence model is configured to perform at least one of selective listening, active noise cancellation, acoustic echo cancellation, ambient pass- though, beamforming, or adaptive filtering(see figs.1-8, figs.10-13 and paragraphs [0117]-[0127]).
Consider Claim 11, Kim teaches a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when individually(see fig. 3(140)) or collectively executed by at least one processor of an electronic device(see fig. 1(100)), stores one or more cause the electronic device(see fig. 3(!30)) to: obtain an audio signal through a microphone,(see fig. 3(111)) transmit the obtained audio signal to an external electronic device(see fig. 10(1000)) through the communication interface, receive(see fig. 3(120)), from the external electronic device through the communication interface, information for adjusting an artificial intelligence model configured to process the obtained audio signal in real time(see figs.1-8 and paragraphs [0044]-[0054]),
input the received information and the obtained audio signal to the artificial intelligence model to adjust the artificial intelligence model(see figs.1-8 and paragraphs [0055]-[0067]); input the obtained audio signal to the adjusted artificial intelligence model to obtain a processed audio signal, and reproduce the processed audio signal through a speaker(see figs.1-8, figs.10-13 and paragraphs [0183]-[0205]).
Consider Claims 12 and 14, Kim teaches the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of wherein the instructions that cause the electronic device to: inputting the obtained information and the obtained audio signal to the artificial intelligence model to adjust a filter configured to extract the obtained audio signal through filtering(see figs.1-8, figs.10-13 and paragraphs [0117]-[0127]); and the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of wherein the information for adjusting an artificial intelligence model comprises at least one of a target signal for training the artificial intelligence model, information about an acoustic environment, or information about a task to be performed in the artificial intelligence model. (see figs.1-8 and paragraphs [0044]-[0054])..
Consider Claim 15, Kim teaches the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of wherein the artificial intelligence model is configured to perform at least one of selective listening, active noise cancellation, acoustic echo cancellation, ambient pass- though, beamforming, or adaptive filtering(see figs.1-8, figs.10-13 and paragraphs [0117]-[0127])...
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
6. In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
7. The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
(a) A patent may not be obtained though the invention is not identically disclosed or described as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the subject matter sought to be patented and the prior art are such that the subject matter as a whole would have been obvious at the time the invention was made to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains. Patentability shall not be negatived by the manner in which the invention was made.
8. The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
9. Claims 8 and 13 are rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Kimi et al. (US 2020/0135213) in view of Crow et al.(US 2019/0082276).
Consider Claim 8, Kim teaches the device of wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to: transmit the obtained audio signal to the external electronic device via wireless communication; and receive the information from the external electronic device via wireless communication(see figs.1-8 and paragraphs [0067]-[0077]); but Kim does not explicitly teach wherein the external electronic device is a mobile device.
However, Crow teaches the device of wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to: transmit the obtained audio signal to the external electronic device via wireless communication; and receive the information from the external electronic device via wireless communication, and wherein the external electronic device is a mobile device.. (see figs.3-5 and paragraphs [0068]-[0085]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention was made to combine the teaching of Crow into the teaching of Kim to provide a hearing aid system and method is disclosed. Disclosed embodiments provide for low latency enhanced audio using a hearing aid earpiece and an auxiliary processing unit wirelessly connected to the earpiece. These and other embodiments are disclosed herein.
Consider Claim 13, Kim teaches The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of wherein the instructions that cause the electronic device to: transmit the obtained audio signal to the external electronic device via wireless communication; and receive the information from the external electronic device via wireless communication(see figs.1-8 and paragraphs [0067]-[0077]); but Kim does not explicitly teach wherein the external electronic device is a mobile device.
However, Crow teaches the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of wherein the instructions that cause the electronic device to: transmit the obtained audio signal to the external electronic device via wireless communication; and receive the information from the external electronic device via wireless communication, and wherein the external electronic device is a mobile device(see figs.3-5 and paragraphs [0068]-[0085]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention was made to combine the teaching of Crow into the teaching of Kim to provide a hearing aid system and method is disclosed. Disclosed embodiments provide for low latency enhanced audio using a hearing aid earpiece and an auxiliary processing unit wirelessly connected to the earpiece. These and other embodiments are disclosed herein.
Conclusion
10. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure. Brown et al.(US 2019/0042988) is cited to show other METHOD AND DEVICE FOR PROCESSING AUDIO SIGNAL BY USING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE MODEL
11. Any response to this action should be mailed to:
Mail Stop ____(explanation, e.g., Amendment or After-final, etc.)
Commissioner for Patents
P.O. Box 1450
Alexandria, VA 22313-1450
Facsimile responses should be faxed to:
(571) 273-8300
Hand-delivered responses should be brought to:
Customer Service Window
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401 Dulany Street
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Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner
should be directed to Lao,Lun-See whose telephone number is (571) 272-7501 The examiner
can normally be reached on Monday-Friday from 8:00 to 5:30.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's
supervisor, Nguyen Duc M, can be reached on (571) 272-7503.
Any inquiry of a general nature or relating to the status of this application or proceeding
should be directed to the Technology Center 2600 whose telephone number is (571) 272-2600.
/LUN-SEE LAO/Primary Examiner,
Art Unit 2651 Patent Examiner
US Patent and Trademark Office
Knox
571-272-7501
Date 10-09-2026
