Prior art

Analysis of Prior Art for U.S. Patent No. 9,107,000

Washington, D.C. – April 26, 2026 – A detailed analysis of the prior art cited against U.S. Patent No. 9,107,000, titled "Wireless digital audio music system," reveals several key patents that could be considered relevant in determining the novelty and non-obviousness of its claims. The patent, assigned to ONE-E-WAY Inc., describes a system for wirelessly transmitting digital audio from a portable source to a headphone set using Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) for private, interference-free listening.

Under 35 U.S.C. § 102, a patent claim is not patentable if the invention was already 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. The following is an examination of the most pertinent prior art cited in the '000 patent's file history.

Key Prior Art References and Potential Anticipation of Claims:

1. U.S. Patent No. 5,946,343 (to L.S. Research, Inc.)

• Publication Date: August 31, 1999
• Filing Date: November 22, 1994
• Brief Description: This patent, titled "Digital wireless speaker system," discloses a system for transmitting digital audio signals wirelessly from a base unit to one or more remote speaker units. It describes encoding an audio signal, modulating it onto a radio frequency carrier, and transmitting it. The receiver then demodulates and decodes the signal for audio playback.
• Potential Anticipation: This reference is highly relevant as it describes the fundamental concept of wireless digital audio transmission. It could potentially anticipate the broader claims of the '000 patent related to a wireless digital audio system. Specifically, it may be argued to anticipate aspects of Claim 8, which describes a wireless digital coded music audio spread spectrum transmitter. The '343 patent teaches encoding and transmitting an audio signal, which are core elements of this claim.

2. U.S. Patent No. 5,771,441 (to Altstatt; John E.)

• Publication Date: June 23, 1998
• Filing Date: April 10, 1996
• Brief Description: Titled "Small, battery operated RF transmitter for portable audio devices for use with headphones with RF receiver," this patent details a compact, battery-powered transmitter that plugs into the headphone jack of a portable audio device. It transmits the audio signal wirelessly to a receiver integrated into a pair of headphones.
• Potential Anticipation: The '441 patent is particularly relevant to the portability and user-application aspects of the '000 patent. It could be seen as anticipating elements of Claim 1, which details a "mobile wireless digital audio receiver," and Claim 2, describing a "wireless digital audio headphone." The concept of a small, mobile transmitter connected to a portable audio source and communicating with wireless headphones is a central theme in both patents.

3. U.S. Patent No. 6,456,645 (to Kurrat; Jens)

• Publication Date: September 24, 2002
• Filing Date: November 24, 1998
• Brief Description: This patent, "Digital wireless audio transmission system," describes a system that uses a digital transmission protocol to send audio signals. A key feature is the use of a unique identification code for each transmitter-receiver pair to prevent interference from other devices.
• Potential Anticipation: The '645 patent's disclosure of using unique identification codes is directly related to the '000 patent's use of a "unique user code" for CDMA communication. This could be argued to anticipate the interference-avoidance and private listening features central to several claims in the '000 patent, including Claim 1, Claim 5, and Claim 9, which all emphasize independent CDMA operation and freedom from interference.

4. U.S. Patent No. 6,781,977 (to Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.)

• Publication Date: August 24, 2004
• Filing Date: March 15, 1999
• Brief Description: This patent, titled "Wideband CDMA mobile equipment for transmitting multichannel sounds," focuses on the use of Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA) for transmitting audio signals in a mobile communication system.
• Potential Anticipation: The '977 patent's specific teaching of CDMA for audio transmission in a mobile context provides a strong basis for anticipating the '000 patent's claims related to CDMA communication. This reference could be particularly relevant for challenging the novelty of Claim 3 and Claim 10, which describe a "digital demodulator configured for independent CDMA communication operation" and a "digital modulator module configured for independent code division multiple access communication operation," respectively.

5. U.S. Patent No. 6,898,585 (to University of Illinois)

• Publication Date: May 24, 2005
• Filing Date: February 2, 2001
• Brief Description: This patent, "Fuzzy logic method for adaptively evaluating the validity of sensor data," details the use of fuzzy logic to improve the accuracy of data detection in the presence of noise.
• Potential Anticipation: While not directly related to audio systems, the '585 patent's disclosure of using fuzzy logic for enhanced signal detection is cited against the '000 patent. This could be used to argue that the application of fuzzy logic for enhancing the detection of a user code, as described in Claim 6 and Claim 7 of the '000 patent, is an obvious application of a known technique for improving signal processing.

This analysis highlights significant overlap between the claims of U.S. Patent No. 9,107,000 and the disclosures of several prior art patents. The combination of these references could form a basis for a detailed invalidity contention based on anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102.