Appeal No. 2000-0546
Application 08/509,228
We note that Appellants make specific reference to U.S.
Patent Application 09/399,427, now U.S. Patent 5,737,431 to
Brandstein et al., in addressing the operation of a microphone
array and beamformer. Appellants’ Specification, Page 9, lines
5-9. Brandstein discloses an automatic voice tracking camera
system used in the teleconferencing environment that includes a
beamformer connected to a camera in order to automatically steer
the camera to the position of the speaker based on the speaker’s
voice. See column 1, line 66 through column 2, line 4 and 18-32,
column 3, lines 27-39, column 6, lines 9-14, column 7, line 64
through column 8, line 1 and associated figures 1 and 3. In
addition, Brandstein describes the beamformer connected to a
microphone array to generate speaker position data defined in
Cartesian coordinates (x, y and z directions). See column 9,
line 61 - column 10, line 7, column 6, lines 15-24, and column 8,
lines 16-23 and 44-54. However, Brandstein does not disclose the
specifics of a camera controller operable to perform the
limitations recited in claims 1, 12 and 20.
Baker also discloses an automated camera tracking system
used in the teleconferencing environment that includes a camera,
a microphone array, a beamformer, a camera controller and an
interface. See column 9, lines 5-29, column 10, lines 10-16,
13
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