Obviousness

Obviousness Analysis under 35 U.S.C. § 103 for US Patent 11900016

This analysis focuses on combinations of prior art references that would render the claims of US Patent 11900016 obvious, and the motivation a person having ordinary skill in the art (PHOSITA) would have to combine them. The previous IPR proceedings (IPR2026-00085) indicate that claims 1-20 were challenged under 35 U.S.C. §§ 102 and 103 based on combinations of US 2013/0294618 A1 (Shusterman et al.) and US 2007/0217623 A1 (Abe et al.). This analysis will primarily leverage these references.

Independent Claims of US11900016

For the purpose of this analysis, we will focus on the two main independent claims described in the "SUMMARY OF THE EMBODIMENTS" section of US11900016, likely corresponding to a system claim (e.g., Claim 1) and a method claim (e.g., Claim 15, given claims 1-20 were challenged in IPR2026-00085):

1. Independent System Claim 1 (as described in the Summary): A system including an audio control source; at least one cluster of at least one computing device (with a sound sensing mechanism and wireless transceiver); at least one output device (with a power source, speaker, and communication mechanism); the audio control source in electronic communication with the cluster and output device, having a memory and processor, with computer-executable instructions including identifying, isolating, determining if a sound frequency is outside a predetermined threshold, altering the sound if it is, and outputting the altered sound.
2. Independent Method Claim 15 (as described in the Summary): A method of altering sensed noise prior to outputting it, including providing an audio control source, at least one cluster of computing devices (with sound sensing and wireless transceiver), at least one output device (with power source, speaker, communication mechanism), and the audio control source in communication; further including steps of identifying, isolating, determining if a sound frequency is outside a predetermined threshold, altering the sound if it is, and outputting the altered sound.

Relevant Prior Art Disclosures

Based on the "Review of related technology" and "Definitions" sections of US11900016:

• US 2013/0294618 A1 (Shusterman et al.): Pertains to "a method and devices of sound volume management and control in the attended areas." The system includes a "central station for audio signal transmittance," "one or more peripheral stations for audio signal reception and playback," an "appliance for listener's location recognition," and a "computing device for performing calculation concerning sounding parameters at the points of each listener's location and for performing calculation of controlling parameters for system tuning." Importantly, "[t]he system can be operated wirelessly and can compose a local network."
• US 2007/0217623 A1 (Abe et al.): Pertains to "a real-time processing apparatus capable of controlling power consumption without performing complex arithmetic processing and requiring a special memory resource." This apparatus includes "an audio encoder that performs a signal processing in real time on an audio signal" and an "audio visual system control unit that executes control so that the first audio encoder operates when the measured step number is less than a threshold value provided beforehand and the second audio encoder operates when the step number is equal to or greater than the threshold value."

Obviousness Analysis: Independent System Claim 1

A combination of Shusterman and Abe would render Independent System Claim 1 of US11900016 obvious to a PHOSITA.

Claim Elements and Corresponding Prior Art Disclosures:

1. "an audio control source; at least one cluster of at least one computing device, the at least one computing device including: a sound sensing mechanism, configured to sense a noise; and a wireless transceiver, configured to wirelessly transmit and receive data from the audio control source."
   • Shusterman teaches a "central station for audio signal transmittance" which serves as an audio control source. It also discloses "one or more peripheral stations for audio signal reception and playback," which can be understood as "at least one computing device" within a "cluster," especially given that "[t]he system can be operated wirelessly and and can compose a local network." These peripheral stations perform "audio signal reception," thus implicitly having a "sound sensing mechanism" and "wireless transceiver" to communicate with the central station wirelessly.
2. "at least one output device, including: a power source for operating the output device; a speaker for outputting sound; and a communication mechanism, for receiving electronic information from the audio control source."
   • Shusterman's "peripheral stations for audio signal reception and playback" directly imply "at least one output device" with a "speaker for outputting sound" and a "communication mechanism" for receiving audio signals from the central station. A "power source" is inherent for operating any active electronic device.
3. "the audio control source, in electronic communication the at least one cluster and the at least one output device, the audio control source including: a memory, containing computer-executable instructions for connecting to the at least one cluster, and varying an output of the at least one output device, providing an interface; and a processor, for executing the computer-executable instructions."
   • Shusterman explicitly describes the central station (audio control source) in communication with peripheral stations (clusters/output devices) for "controlling parameters for system tuning." This functionality inherently requires a "memory," "processor," and "computer-executable instructions" to manage connections, vary output, and provide an interface for tuning.
4. "wherein the computer-executable instructions include: identifying one or more sounds within the noise; isolating the one or more sounds;"
   • Shusterman's "computing device for performing calculation concerning sounding parameters at the points of each listener's location" implies analyzing and identifying characteristics of sounds within the environment. Abe further teaches "signal processing in real time on an audio signal." A PHOSITA, aiming to effectively manage and control sound (as in Shusterman), would find it obvious to apply known audio signal processing techniques, such as identifying and isolating specific sounds or frequency bands, which are fundamental steps for targeted audio manipulation.
5. "determining is one or more of the one or more sounds includes a frequency outside of a predetermined threshold;"
   • Abe explicitly teaches "an audio visual system control unit that executes control so that the first audio encoder operates when the measured step number is less than a threshold value provided beforehand and the second audio encoder operates when the step number is equal to or greater than the threshold value." This clearly discloses determining if an audio-derived characteristic falls outside a predetermined threshold to trigger a control action. While Abe's threshold is for "throughput" for power consumption, the concept of defining thresholds for frequency to manage audio output is a routine technique in audio engineering (e.g., using equalizers or filters to manage frequency ranges). A PHOSITA would readily adapt Abe's general thresholding principle to a frequency threshold in Shusterman's sound management system.
6. "if one or more of the one or more sounds includes the frequency outside of the predetermined threshold, altering the one or more of the one or more sounds so that the frequency does not fall outside of the predetermined threshold; and"
   • Abe teaches altering the operation of an audio encoder based on a threshold breach. Shusterman teaches "controlling parameters for system tuning" and "sound volume management and control" in a distributed system. Combining these, a PHOSITA would be motivated to automatically alter the sound itself (e.g., via equalization, dynamic range compression, or filtering) within Shusterman's system when a specific frequency threshold is exceeded. This is a common feedback control mechanism in audio systems where an undesirable detected condition leads to a corrective adjustment in the output sound.
7. "outputting the one or more sounds on the at least one output device."
   • Shusterman's "audio signal reception and playback" at peripheral stations covers this element.

Motivation to Combine Shusterman (US 2013/0294618 A1) and Abe (US 2007/0217623 A1)

A PHOSITA in the field of audio management systems would be motivated to combine the teachings of Shusterman and Abe to create a more sophisticated, autonomous, and responsive sound management system.

Shusterman provides a foundational distributed audio system designed for "sound volume management and control" in attended areas, utilizing a network of peripheral stations to sense audio and a central station to wirelessly adjust "sounding parameters" for playback. However, Shusterman does not explicitly detail a real-time, threshold-based method for automatically altering specific audio characteristics to prevent undesirable outputs.

Abe, on the other hand, introduces the concept of real-time audio signal processing with a predetermined threshold to trigger control actions, specifically for power consumption management.

The motivation for a PHOSITA to combine these two references stems from the common problems faced in sound management, which US11900016 itself acknowledges, such as dealing with "improper calibrations of signal propagation and signal degradation, as well as unwanted harmonics and soundwave reflections" and "crowd noise" leading to sound levels that "pose danger to human listeners."

A PHOSITA, aiming to enhance the "sound volume management and control" of Shusterman's distributed system, would recognize the benefit of integrating Abe's real-time, threshold-based processing. Such an integration would allow Shusterman's system to move beyond general "system tuning" to automatically detect and respond to specific problematic audio characteristics, such as frequencies or amplitudes that are too high or potentially harmful. The objective would be to improve sound quality, intelligibility, and listener safety in dynamic environments where manual adjustments are impractical.

It would be a straightforward design choice for a PHOSITA to adapt Abe's threshold monitoring to address specific audio frequency concerns in Shusterman's system. For example, knowing that prolonged exposure to certain frequencies or volumes can be harmful (as recognized in the background of US11900016), a PHOSITA would logically set frequency-based thresholds within Shusterman's control mechanism and use standard audio processing techniques (e.g., equalization, compression) to "alter" the sound output when these thresholds are breached. This combination represents a logical progression in automating and refining sound management in distributed systems, leveraging known techniques for real-time signal analysis and control to achieve better and safer audio experiences.

Obviousness Analysis: Independent Method Claim 15

The Independent Method Claim 15 largely mirrors the system claim in its structural and functional elements, but describes them as steps in a method. For the same reasons outlined above, the steps of providing the various components, identifying, isolating, determining if a frequency is outside a predetermined threshold, altering the sound, and outputting it, would be obvious when combining the teachings of Shusterman and Abe. The motivation remains the same: to improve the real-time, autonomous sound management capabilities of a distributed audio system by incorporating threshold-based detection and corrective audio alterations, particularly for frequencies deemed undesirable or harmful.

Therefore, the combination of US 2013/0294618 A1 (Shusterman et al.) and US 2007/0217623 A1 (Abe et al.) would render the independent claims of US11900016 obvious under 35 U.S.C. § 103.