DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application is being examined under the pre-AIA first to invent provisions.
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after allowance or after an Office action under Ex Parte Quayle, 25 USPQ 74, 453 O.G. 213 (Comm'r Pat. 1935). Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, prosecution in this application has been reopened pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 09/11/2025 has been entered.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
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.
Claims 1-7, 9-13 and 15-25 are 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.
In claim 1 there is insufficient antecedent basis for the limitation “the block associated with the first spatial motion vector prediction candidate”.
In claim 1 recites “examining if the number of spatial motion vector prediction candidates in the motion vector prediction list is smaller than a maximum number”. The term “a maximum number” is a relative term and is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree. See the current application para. [0088] stating “ [i]n some embodiments the maximum number of spatial motion prediction candidates to be included in the merge list is four but in some embodiments the maximum number may be less than four or greater than four.” One of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention, thereby renders the claim indefinite.
Claims 5, 6, 9, 12, 13, 15, 19, and 23 recite the term “a maximum number” and are rejected due to the same reason set forth above with respect to claim 1.
Claim 1 recites “the first spatial motion vector prediction candidate has essentially similar motion information than the spatial motion vector prediction candidate above the prediction unit”. The term “essentially similar” introduces a relative comparison without clear boundaries, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention, thereby renders the claim indefinite.
Claims 6, 9, 13, 15, and 20 use the term “essentially similar” and are rejected due to the same reason set forth above with respect to claim 1.
Independent claims 9, 15 and 20 are rejected due to the same reason set forth above with respect to claim 1.
The rest of the dependent claims are rejected based on their dependency from the rejected claims 1, 9, 15 and 20.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NATHNAEL AYNALEM whose telephone number is (571)270-1482. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9AM-5:30 PM ET.
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/NATHNAEL AYNALEM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2488
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