Prior art

To identify the most relevant prior art for US patent 11900016, I will examine the "Prior art documents" section on the Google Patents page for US11900016B2. While a direct USPTO search for "patent 11900016" would provide similar information, Google Patents conveniently aggregates the cited prior art. I will then provide the requested details for each reference.

Based on the provided full patent text and the Google Patents information, the following prior art references are explicitly mentioned or cited for US patent 11900016:

1. U.S. Pat. No. 5,668,884

• Full Citation: U.S. Pat. No. 5,668,884
• Publication/Filing Date: Not explicitly stated in the provided text, but the patent number indicates it was granted prior to US11900016.
• Brief Description: Pertains to an audio enhancement system and method that uses at least one wireless transmitter, time delay circuitry, and multiple augmented sound producing subsystems. Each subsystem is a portable unit with a wireless receiver and a transducer (e.g., stereo headphones) for producing augmented sound substantially in synchronism with primary sound from a main loudspeaker. The time delay circuitry accounts for the propagation time of primary sound.
• Potentially Anticipates (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent's focus on distributing augmented sound to individual listeners with time delay could potentially anticipate claims in US11900016 related to localized audio output and adjustment based on listener location, particularly where US11900016 discusses "in-ear monitoring device 112" and "auto-adjusts based on signal energy sensed within a cluster or surrounding clusters" (Abstract, Claims 9, 17).

2. U.S. Pat. No. 7,991,171

• Full Citation: U.S. Pat. No. 7,991,171
• Publication/Filing Date: Not explicitly stated in the provided text.
• Brief Description: Describes a method and apparatus for processing an audio signal in multiple audio frequency bands. It aims to minimize undesirable tonal changes by determining initial and final gain adjustment factors for each band, where the final factor is derived from other bands with harmonic frequencies. This helps decrease relative changes in volume between fundamental frequencies and their harmonics.
• Potentially Anticipates (35 U.S.C. § 102): This reference's method of processing audio signals across multiple frequency bands and adjusting gain to maintain tonal qualities could potentially anticipate claims in US11900016 related to "identifying one or more sounds within the noise; isolating the one or more sounds; determining is one or more of the one or more sounds includes a frequency outside of a predetermined threshold; 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" (Abstract, Claims 1, 15). The concept of "equalizing the sensed noise" (Claims 11, 19) also aligns with the '171 patent's focus on audio processing.

3. U.S. Pat. No. 8,315,398

• Full Citation: U.S. Pat. No. 8,315,398
• Publication/Filing Date: Not explicitly stated in the provided text.
• Brief Description: Pertains to a method of adjusting audio signal loudness. It involves receiving an electronic audio signal, processing at least one channel with approximation filters mimicking human hearing, determining loudness, and computing a gain to maintain substantially constant loudness for a period of time. This gain is then applied to the audio signal.
• Potentially Anticipates (35 U.S.C. § 102): The core idea of adjusting loudness to remain substantially constant and using filters that approximate human hearing could anticipate claims in US11900016 concerning "varying an output of the at least one output device" (Claims 1, 15) and potentially the broader goal of improving "perceived sound quality" (Description).

4. U.S. Pat. No. 8,452,432

• Full Citation: U.S. Pat. No. 8,452,432
• Publication/Filing Date: Not explicitly stated in the provided text.
• Brief Description: Discloses a user-friendly system for real-time performance and user modification of recorded musical compositions, facilitating user involvement in creating new compositions. It can be implemented on portable devices like smartphones and includes a library of musical material, a graphic user interface for selecting components, and optional visualizer modules responsive to rhythm and amplitude.
• Potentially Anticipates (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent's emphasis on user-friendly real-time modification of audio and a graphical user interface on portable devices (e.g., smartphones) could anticipate aspects of US11900016 that involve "an interfacing mechanism... including... at least one input mechanism, configured to: manipulate the interfacing mechanism; and vary the output of the at least one output device" (Claims 2, 16) and the use of "standard computing devices, such as wearables, tablets, and mobile phones" (Description) to adjust sound output.

5. U.S. Pat. No. 8,594,319

• Full Citation: U.S. Pat. No. 8,594,319
• Publication/Filing Date: Not explicitly stated in the provided text.
• Brief Description: Pertains to methods and apparatuses for adjusting audio content when multiple audio objects are directed toward a single audio output device. It allows adjustment of amplitude, white noise, and frequencies to enhance sound quality or intelligibility. Audio objects are classified by categories and ranks to assign specific processing or priority.
• Potentially Anticipates (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent's focus on adjusting amplitude and frequencies of multiple audio objects to enhance sound quality and intelligibility aligns with US11900016's claims of "altering the one or more of the one or more sounds so that the frequency does not fall outside of the predetermined threshold; and outputting the one or more sounds on the at least one output device" (Claims 1, 15) and the functions of "balancing the volume, controlling the dynamic range of the frequencies sensed (compression), performing subtractive and additive equalization, and/or adding audio effects to provide additional depth and texture" (Description).

6. United States Patent Publication No.: 2007/0217623

• Full Citation: United States Patent Publication No.: 2007/0217623
• Publication/Filing Date: Not explicitly stated in the provided text.
• Brief Description: Describes a real-time processing apparatus for controlling power consumption without complex arithmetic processing or special memory. It includes first and second audio encoders (with different throughputs), an audio execution step number notification unit, and an audio visual system control unit that switches between encoders based on a measured step number (throughput level) and a threshold value.
• Potentially Anticipates (35 U.S.C. § 102): The concept of real-time processing and dynamically adjusting system operation based on a threshold could broadly anticipate the real-time analysis and alteration steps in US11900016, specifically "determining is one or more of the one or more sounds includes a frequency outside of a predetermined threshold; 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" (Claims 1, 15).

7. United States Patent Publication No.: 2011/0134278

• Full Citation: United States Patent Publication No.: 2011/0134278
• Publication/Filing Date: Not explicitly stated in the provided text.
• Brief Description: Pertains to an image/audio data sensing module for an electronic apparatus case. It comprises an image sensor, multiple audio sensors, a processor to process and combine image/audio data into an output data stream, and a transceiver interface for receiving instructions and transmitting the output stream. These components are coupled to a circuit board.
• Potentially Anticipates (35 U.S.C. § 102): This publication's description of multiple audio sensors ("a plurality of audio sensors") and a processor to process audio data for output via a transceiver could anticipate the "at least one cluster of at least one computing device, the at least one computing device including: a sound sensing mechanism... and a wireless transceiver" (Claims 1, 15) and the general processing of sensed noise in US11900016.

8. United States Patent Publication No.: 2013/0044131

• Full Citation: United States Patent Publication No.: 2013/0044131
• Publication/Filing Date: Not explicitly stated in the provided text.
• Brief Description: Describes a method for revealing changes in analog control console settings. This method involves receiving a captured image of the console, creating a composite image by superimposing the captured image with a live image, and displaying the composite image.
• Potentially Anticipates (35 U.S.C. § 102): This reference is less directly related to audio processing and environmental sensing than the others. Its relevance to US11900016, which focuses on multi-frequency sensing and autonomous audio control, might be limited, possibly related to an interface for an audio control source if broadly interpreted, but not directly anticipating the core sensing and altering claims.

9. United States Patent Publication No.: 2013/0294618

• Full Citation: United States Patent Publication No.: 2013/0294618
• Publication/Filing Date: Not explicitly stated in the provided text.
• Brief Description: Pertains to a method and devices for sound volume management and control in attended areas. The system includes a sounding mode appointment device, a central station for audio signal transmittance, peripheral stations for reception/playback, a listener's location recognition appliance, and a computing device for calculating sounding parameters and controlling system tuning. The system can operate wirelessly and form a local network.
• Potentially Anticipates (35 U.S.C. § 102): This publication's description of a system for sound volume management and control in specific areas, incorporating listener's location recognition, wireless operation, and a local network, strongly aligns with US11900016. It could anticipate claims related to the "at least one cluster of at least one computing device" (Claims 1, 15), "wireless transceiver" (Claims 1, 15), "audio control source" (Claims 1, 15), and the ability to "adjust a given output device 160 based on its proximity to a given location 110 of a cluster" (Description). The PTAB case IPR2026-00085 also challenged claims 1-20 of US11900016 based on combinations including US 2013/0294618 A1 (Shusterman et al.). Therefore, this reference is highly relevant.

10. US10127005B2 (Not explicitly detailed in the "Review of related technology" section, but listed as "Priority claimed from US14/862,304" which leads to US10127005B2 on Google Patents).

• Full Citation: US10127005B2
• Publication/Filing Date: The priority date for US11900016 is 2014-09-23, and it claims priority from US14/862,304, which itself is a continuation of US16/155,919, which is a continuation-in-part of US16/421,141. US14/862,304 led to US10127005B2. Therefore, US10127005B2 would have a priority date no later than 2014-09-23.
• Brief Description: While not detailed in the provided text, as the parent application, it would likely disclose foundational aspects of the multi-frequency sensing method and apparatus using mobile-clusters, including core components like sensing mechanisms, clusters, audio control sources, and output devices, as well as the methods for sensing, analyzing, and altering audio frequencies.
• Potentially Anticipates (35 U.S.C. § 102): As a direct parent, it is highly likely to anticipate most, if not all, of the claims of US11900016 under 35 U.S.C. § 102 if the claims of US11900016 are not patentably distinct from the disclosure of US10127005B2.

11. US20220261213A1 (Listed as "Other versions" and "Publication of US20220261213A1" on Google Patents)

• Full Citation: US20220261213A1
• Publication/Filing Date: Publication date 2022-08-18.
• Brief Description: As a publication of the same application family (it's listed as an "other version"), this likely describes similar or identical subject matter to US11900016. It would be an earlier publication of the present invention's subject matter.
• Potentially Anticipates (35 U.S.C. § 102): As an earlier publication of what appears to be the same invention or a closely related version, US20220261213A1 would directly anticipate any claims in US11900016 that are not patentably distinct from its disclosure, especially given its earlier publication date.

It's important to note that the PTAB challenged claims 1-20 of US11900016 using US 2013/0294618 A1 (Shusterman et al.) and US 2007/0217623 A1 (Abe et al.), which further emphasizes their relevance as prior art.