DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim(s) 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen et al (IEEE Internet of Things Journal, 17 November 2020), hereinafter Chen in view of Ma et al (3rd International Conference on Digital Medicine and Image Processing, 6-9 November 2020), hereinafter Ma, and further in view of Gu et al (2017 4th IAPR Asian Conference on Pattern Recognition), hereinafter Gu.
-Regarding claim 15, Chen discloses a system comprising (Abstract; Figs. 1-5): one or more processors to process data (one or more processors have to be used in order to implement Chen’s Fig. 3), including processing for a convolutional neural network (CNN) (page 7648, 2nd Col., Sec. III. Cyclic CNN; Figs. 1-3); and a memory to store data (at least one memory has to be used in order to implement Chen’s Fig. 3), including data for CNN processing (Figs. 1-3); and an multi-scale convolution tool to provide support for objection recognition by the CNN in varying scales of object sizes; wherein application of the omni-convolution tool includes at least (Page 47467, 1st Col., “enrich the input scale of convolutional operation and generate multiscale and multilocation information to improve image classification”, 2nd paragraph, Col., Sec. II-B. Multiscale and Multilocation Contexts in CNN; Figs. 1-3): applying a plurality of dilation rates in a plurality of kernels of a kernel lattice of the convolutional layer (Page 47467, 1st Col., “applying dilated convolution on a part of channels, multiscale contexts may be generated”; Page 7473, 2nd Col., 2nd paragraph; Table V; Table I; Page 7470, 2nd Col., Sec. III-D, 1st paragraph, “kernel”; Page 3472, 1st Col., 2nd paragraph, “three cascaded convolutions with kernel sizes of 1 × 1, 3 × 3 and 1 × 1, respectively), and applying a cyclic pattern for the plurality of dilation rates in the plurality of kernels of the convolutional layer (Page 7473, 2nd Col., 2nd and 3rd paragraphs; Tables V-VII; Figs. 1-3).
Chen does not disclose omni-convolution.
In the same field of endeavor, Ma teaches a method for image segmentation using omni-scale convolution networks (Ma: Abstract; Figures 1-4). Ma further teaches omni-convolution (Ma: Figures 2-3). Ma also teaches a plurality of kernels of a kernel lattice of the convolutional layer (Ma: Figures 2-3).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of Chen with the teaching of Ma by using omni-scale convolution in order to extend a multi-scale network which leverages different scales to include features at scales that might not be explicitly encoded in the network's structure.
Chen in view of Ma does not teach wherein applying the plurality of dilation rates in the plurality of kernels includes implementing the dilation rates in group convolution.
However, Gu is an analogous art pertinent to the problem to be solved in this application and teaches a group dilated convolution (GDC) to enlarge receptive filed (Gu: Abstract; Sec. II.). Gu further teaches wherein applying the plurality of dilation rates in the plurality of kernels includes implementing the dilation rates in group convolution (Gu: Page 2, 2nd Col., 2nd paragraph, last line – page 3, 1st Col., 1st paragraph, “produces a group convolution (Fig. 2(c)) with four groups if dilation rate becomes 1, which is called Group Dilation Convolution”, 2nd paragraph, “dilation convolution has kernel size of k ×k”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teaching of Chen in view of Ma with the teaching of Gu by using group dilated convolution in order to effectively enlarge the receptive field.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 16-18 and 20 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claims 1, 3-11 and 13-14 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for indicating allowable subject matter: based on allowable subject matter indicated in Non-Final Rejection dated on 06/12/2025 and updated prior arts search. Independent claim 1 is amended by incorporating allowable subject matter indicated in the Non-Final Rejection office action. Regarding independent claim 9, Chen, Ma, and Ben-Arie appear to be the closest prior arts on record. However, the closest prior arts, either alone or in combination do not teach or suggest the following subject matter or the claimed limitations in combination with the rest of the independent claims as a whole, such as, inter alia, wherein implementing a convolution operation includes a combination of :a cyclic operation in which dilation rates for the plurality of kernels vary in a periodic manner along an axis of input channels, and a shift operation in which dilation rates for the plurality of kernels are shifted along an axis of output channels.
Claims 3-8 are dependent upon claim 1. Claims 10-11 and 13-14 are dependent upon claim 9. These claims are allowable for at least the same reasons given for independent claims 1 and 9.
Response to Arguments
The amendments for claims 9 and 15 are not considered as incorporating allowable subject matter indicated in Non-Final Rejection office action dated 06/12/2025 because the claim amendments do not include the corresponding intervening claims.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/XIAO LIU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2664
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