DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding claim 3, the present claim language discloses “wherein a first spacing distance is defined by the first front loudspeaker and the first rear loudspeaker, a second spacing distance is defined by the first front loudspeaker and the second rear loudspeaker, and the first spacing distance and the second spacing distance are respectively set to a quarter wavelength of an operating frequency of the audio system”.
The claim does not set bounds on the operating frequency of the audio system and therefore it is impossible to determine the scope of the first and second spacing distances between the front and rear loudspeakers. Due to the lack of limiting the scope of the claimed distances the claim is regarded as indefinite.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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) 1-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Thompson et al (US 20220078569 A1).
With respect to claim 1, Thompson discloses an audio system for a vehicle in the arrangement shown in figure 2b, comprising:
a loudspeaker array (fig.2b #6a,b #7), comprising:
a first front loudspeaker (fig.2b #7);
a first rear loudspeaker (fig.2b #6a); and
a second rear loudspeaker (fig.2b #6b),
wherein the first front loudspeaker, the first rear loudspeaker and the second rear loudspeaker are arranged in a triangle (see fig.2b; Par.[0032]),
an audio signal processing system (fig.2b #3), configured to process a plurality of audio channels (fig.2b #2a-d), wherein the audio signal processing system is configured to provide a first principal signal (fig.2b #4b) and a first accommodating signal (fig.2b #5b) of a first audio channel (fig.2b #2b) in the plurality of audio channels to the first front loudspeaker and the first rear loudspeaker respectively, and
wherein the audio signal processing system is configured to provide a second principal signal (fig.2b #4d) and a second accommodating signal (fig.2b #5d) of a second audio channel (fig.2b #2d) in the plurality of audio channels to the first front loudspeaker and the second rear loudspeaker respectively such that the loudspeaker array generates a directional radiation pattern (Par.[0032] As shown in figure 2b, the distribution of the audio channels to the loudspeaker array generates the directional radiation patterns #9a-d).
The audio system arrangement shown in figure 2b of Thompson does not disclose expressly wherein the first front loudspeaker is closer to a reflecting surface in comparison with the first rear loudspeaker and the second rear loudspeaker; and the directional radiation pattern is directed to the reflecting surface.
Thompson discloses in the audio system arrangement shown in figure 7c, wherein a loudspeaker array comprises loudspeaker pairs (fig.7c #8a,8b) that may be integrated into a dashboard (fig.7c #23) of a vehicle (Par.[0061]), wherein at least a first front loudspeaker of each loudspeaker pair is closer to a reflecting surface (fig.7c #26) in comparison with a first and second rear loudspeaker of the loudspeaker pairs, and wherein a directional radiation pattern (fig.7c #9b,d) is directed to the reflecting surface (Par.[0064-0069]).
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the present invention to a person of ordinary skill in the art to mount the audio system of figure 2b of Thompson within a dashboard of a vehicle as performed by the arrangement of figure 7c of Thompson, such that the first front loudspeaker #7 is closer to the reflecting surface (i.e. windshield) than the first and second rear loudspeakers #6a,6b. The motivation for doing so would have been to achieve a desirable radiation pattern such that radiation beams (fig.2b #9a,9c) directly reach listener positions of the passenger seats, and radiation beams (fig.2b #9b,9d) provide a reflected audio signal to the passengers thereby providing a dimensional sound component to the listening experience.
With respect to claim 2, Thompson discloses the audio system according to Claim 1, wherein a connection from an acoustic center of the first front loudspeaker to an acoustic center of the first rear loudspeaker is defined as a first line segment, the connection from the acoustic center of the first front loudspeaker to an acoustic center of the second rear loudspeaker is defined as a second line segment, and an included angle between the first line segment and the second line segment ranges between 60° and 140° (As shown in figure 2b the angle between intersection line segments of the front and rear loudspeakers is approximately 90°).
With respect to claim 3, Thompson discloses the audio system according to Claim 1, wherein a first spacing distance is defined by the first front loudspeaker and the first rear loudspeaker, a second spacing distance is defined by the first front loudspeaker and the second rear loudspeaker, and the first spacing distance and the second spacing distance are respectively set to a quarter wavelength of an operating frequency of the audio system (An operating frequency of the audio system has not been defined by the present claim language. Due to the lack of a defined operation frequency, it is impossible to determine the scope of the spacing distances between the front and rear loudspeakers).
With respect to claim 4, Thompson discloses the audio system according to Claim 2, wherein the directional radiation pattern further comprises: a first directional radiation pattern; and a second directional radiation pattern, wherein the first directional radiation pattern comprises: a first forward component; and a first backward component, wherein the second directional radiation pattern comprises: a second forward component; and a second backward component, wherein the first forward component and the first backward component are associated with the first front loudspeaker and the first rear loudspeaker, wherein the second forward component and the second backward component are associated with the first front loudspeaker and the second rear loudspeaker, and wherein the first forward component and the second forward component are respectively directed to the reflecting surface (See fig.2b #9a-9d; Par.[0031-0032]).
With respect to claim 5, Thompson discloses the audio system according to Claim 4, wherein an intensity associated with the first backward component is smaller than an intensity associated with the first forward component, and an intensity associated with the second backward component is smaller than an intensity associated with the second forward component (As shown in figure 2b; each radiation pattern #9a-9d comprises an intensity that is greater in a forward direction that each respective loudspeaker faces).
With respect to claim 6, Thompson discloses the audio system according to Claim 1, wherein the first accommodating signal of the first audio channel is generated by filtering or inverting the first principal signal of the first audio channel, and the second accommodating signal of the second audio channel is generated by filtering or inverting the second principal signal of the second audio channel (Par.[0051] “one or more processing elements such as a delay, signal inversion, and filtering may, for example, be applied”).
With respect to claim 7, Thompson discloses the audio system according to Claim 1, wherein the first accommodating signal of the first audio channel is generated by applying a delay to the first principal signal of the first audio channel, and the second accommodating signal of the second audio channel is generated by applying a delay to the second principal signal of the second audio channel (Par.[0072] applying a delay is known for achieving a desired radiation pattern).
With respect to claim 8, Thompson discloses the audio system according to Claim 1, wherein the reflecting surface is a windshield, a headliner, a side window, a door, a rear window, or a shelf of the vehicle (Par.[0067][0070]).
With respect to claim 9, Thompson discloses the audio system according to Claim 1, wherein the first front loudspeaker, the first rear loudspeaker and the second rear loudspeaker are installed on a dashboard, and a connecting line from the first rear loudspeaker to the second rear loudspeaker is parallel to a junction line between the reflecting surface and the dashboard (Par.[0062]; See figs.7c,7d).
With respect to claim 10, Thompson discloses the audio system according to Claim 4, wherein the first forward component of the first directional radiation pattern is emitted along the first line segment and is reflected to the left side of a passenger by the reflecting surface, and the second forward component of the second directional radiation pattern is emitted along the second line segment and is reflected to the right side of a driver by the reflecting surface (fig.7c; Par.[0069-0070] in an alternative embodiment, the radiation pattern may be emitted such that sound waves reflect off of side windows of the vehicle).
With respect to claim 11, Thompson discloses an audio system for a vehicle in the arrangement shown in figure 2a, comprising:
a loudspeaker array, comprising
a first front loudspeaker (fig.2a #6a);
a second front loudspeaker (fig.2a #6b);
a first rear loudspeaker (fig.2a #7a); and
a second rear loudspeaker (fig.2a #7b), and
an audio signal processing system (fig.2a #3), configured to process a plurality of audio channels (fig.2a #2a-d),
wherein the audio signal processing system is configured to provide a first principal signal (fig.2a #4a) and a first accommodating signal (fig.2a #5a) of a first audio channel (fig.2a #2a) in the plurality of audio channels to the first front loudspeaker and the first rear loudspeaker respectively, and
wherein the audio signal processing system is configured to provide a second principal signal (fig.2a #4c) and a second accommodating signal (fig.2a #5c) of a second audio channel (fig.2a #2c) in the plurality of audio channels to the second front loudspeaker and the second rear loudspeaker respectively such that the loudspeaker array generates a directional radiation pattern (fig.2a #9a-d)(Par.[0028-0031])..
The audio system arrangement shown in figure 2a of Thompson does not disclose expressly wherein the first front loudspeaker, the first rear loudspeaker and the second rear loudspeaker are arranged in a triangle, the second front loudspeaker, the first rear loudspeaker and the second rear loudspeaker are arranged in another triangle, and the first front loudspeaker and the second front loudspeaker are closer to a reflecting surface in comparison with the first rear loudspeaker and the second rear loudspeaker; and the directional radiation pattern is directed to the reflecting surface.
Thompson discloses in the audio system arrangement shown in figure 7c, wherein a loudspeaker array comprises loudspeaker pairs (fig.7c #8a,8b) that may be integrated into a dashboard (fig.7c #23) of a vehicle (Par.[0061]), wherein a first front loudspeaker and a first rear loudspeaker and a second rear loudspeaker are arranged in a triangle; and a second front loudspeaker, the first rear loudspeaker and the second rear loudspeaker are arranged in another triangle (see fig.7c) wherein the first and second front loudspeakers of each loudspeaker pair is closer to a reflecting surface (fig.7c #26) in comparison with the first and second rear loudspeakers of the loudspeaker pairs, and wherein a directional radiation pattern (fig.7c #9b,d) is directed to the reflecting surface (Par.[0064-0069]).
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the present invention to a person of ordinary skill in the art to mount the audio system of figure 2a of Thompson within a dashboard of a vehicle as performed by the arrangement of figure 7c of Thompson, such that the first front loudspeakers #6a,b are closer to the reflecting surface (i.e. windshield) than the first and second rear loudspeakers #7a-b. The motivation for doing so would have been to achieve a desirable radiation pattern such that radiation beams (fig.2a #9a,9c) directly reach listener positions of the passenger seats, and radiation beams (fig.2b #9b,9d) provide a reflected audio signal to the passengers thereby providing a dimensional sound component to the listening experience.
With respect to claim 12, Thompson discloses the audio system according to Claim 11, wherein the first front loudspeaker, the second front loudspeaker, the first rear loudspeaker and the second rear loudspeaker are arranged in a trapezoid (see fig.7c).
With respect to claim 13, Thompson discloses the audio system according to Claim 12, wherein the first front loudspeaker, the second front loudspeaker, the first rear loudspeaker and the second rear loudspeaker are installed on a dashboard, and a connecting line between the first rear loudspeaker and the second rear loudspeaker, or a connecting line between the first front loudspeaker and the second front loudspeaker, is parallel to a junction line between the reflecting surface and the dashboard (fig.7c; Par.[0062]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Sheedy et al (US 10241746 B1) discloses control of audio systems for a boat comprising reflecting sound off of a windshield.
Hiramoto et al (US 20140119566 A1) discloses an audio playback device for mounting on a dashboard of a vehicle.
McGowan (US 20120263306 A1) discloses an acoustic spatial projector for reflection sound waves off of a reflecting surface.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JASON R KURR whose telephone number is (571)270-5981. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 9-5.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Vivian Chin can be reached at (571-272-7848. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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JASON R. KURR
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2695
/JASON R KURR/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2695
