DETAILED ACTION
The United States Patent & Trademark Office appreciates the response filed for the current application that is submitted on 08/20/2026. The United States Patent & Trademark Office reviewed the following documents submitted and has made the following comments below.
Amendment
Applicant submitted amendments on 04/16/2026 and arguments on 08/20/2026. The Examiner acknowledges the amendment and arguments and has reviewed the claims accordingly.
Priority
Acknowledgment Applicant claims the benefit of foreign application CN 202110120697.6 filed 01/28/2021. Claims 1, 3, 5-8, 10, 13, 15-19, and 21 have been afforded the benefit of this filing date.
Information Disclosure Statement
The IDS dated 07/27/2023 and 08/27/2024 have been previously considered and placed in the application file.
Overview
Claims 1, 3, 5-8, 10, 13, 15-19 and 21 are pending in this application and have been considered below.
Claims 2, 4, 9, 11-12, 14, 20 and 22 have been cancelled.
Claims 1, 3, 5-8, 10, 13, 15-19 and 21 are rejected.
Applicant Arguments:
In regards to the argument on Argument 1, Applicant/s state/s “However, claim 1 of Chao recites "A method for adjusting image luminance performed at an electronic device, the method comprising: determining a target pixel with original luminance lower than a luminance threshold ... ; and adjusting the target pixel to corresponding target luminance", it can be seen that in Chao, luminance adjustment is performed only on the target pixel with original luminance lower than a luminance threshold.” therefore, the rejection of 35 U.S.C. 103 should be withdrawn (See Remarks, page 9, paragraph 5).
In regards to the argument on Argument 2, Applicant/s state/s “Chao, the adjustment intensity ( equivalent to the brightness adjustment information in claim 1) corresponding to the target pixel is related to a difference between the luminance distribution intensity of the adjacent pixels and the luminance threshold. That is, the manner of determining the brightness adjustment information in claim 1 is different from the manner of determining the adjustment intensity ( equivalent to the brightness adjustment information in claim 1) in Chao.” therefore, the rejection of 35 U.S.C. 103 should be withdrawn (See Remarks, page 10, paragraph 2).+
In regards to the argument on Argument 3, Applicant/s state/s “Wang, when f(i)> 1. 0, then 11l(x)>0, meaning that image Mi is to be adjusted to increase its brightness, the luminance adjustment amount values for brighter pixels are smaller than the luminance adjustment amount values for darker pixels, which is opposite to the solution, "the brightness adjustment information for each pixel is a brightness adjustment value for each pixel ... the brightness adjustment information for the pixel being proportional to the brightness of the pixel" as defined by the distinguishing feature (a) of claim 1. Therefore, Wang also fails to disclose the distinguishing feature (a).” therefore, the rejection of 35 U.S.C. 103 should be withdrawn (See Remarks, page 11, paragraph 2).
Examiner’s Responses:
In response to Argument 1, Applicant’s arguments, see Remarks, filed 08/20/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim 1, 10, and 19 under 35 U.S.C. 103 have been fully considered but are not persuasive. Therefore, the rejection will be maintained. The rejection is made for Claim 1, 10, 19 and its dependent claims under 35 U.S.C. 103 in view of Chao et al. (US Patent Publication CN109978777A (using US Patent Pub US20210295801A1 as translated document) hereafter referred to as Chao) in view of Bin et al. (Bin et al CN110120047A (using IP.com as translation document) hereafter referred to as Bin) in further view of Wang et al (US Patent Publication US 2018/0005410 A1) hereafter referred to as Wang).
The Examiner finds that Chao teaches on the claim language “the brightness adjustment information for each pixel is a brightness adjustment value for each pixel” and “the brightness adjustment information for the pixel being proportional to the brightness of the pixel”.
The Examiner finds that Chao teaches on the claim language. Chao teaches in ¶0010 and ¶0047 that the pixels are adjusted to a target luminance and ¶0015 discloses that the pixel luminance is adjusted to a target value and further teaches that each pixel is evaluated in ¶0092-¶0093. Applicant argues “However, claim 1 of Chao recites "A method for adjusting image luminance performed at an electronic device, the method comprising: determining a target pixel with original luminance lower than a luminance threshold ... ; and adjusting the target pixel to corresponding target luminance", it can be seen that in Chao, luminance adjustment is performed only on the target pixel with original luminance lower than a luminance threshold”. The Examiner finds that since each pixel in evaluated in Chao as disclosed in ¶0092-¶0093 it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art that each pixel is evaluated for brightness, however the brightness of the pixel is only changed if needed as disclosed in ¶0092 and ¶0141 which can be interpreted as adjusting the brightness information according to the value being proportional, therefore if there is no need to adjust the value of the pixel the brightness adjustment could be zero, which is proportional to the amount it needs to be adjusted as shown in ¶0142. The Examiner finds that during prosecution; claims must be given their broadest reasonable interpretation while reading claim language in light of the specification as it would be interpreted by one of ordinary skill in the art. In re Am. Acad. of Sci. Tech. Ctr., 367 F.3d 1359, 1364 (Fed. Cir. 2004). In construing the meaning of claims terms, caution must be taken not to import limitations from the specification as “[i]t is the claims that measure the invention.” See SRI Int’l v. Matsushita Elec. Corp. of Am., 775 F.2d 1107, 1121 (Fed. Cir. 1985) (en banc) The Examiner interprets that under broadest reasonable interpretation “each pixel” have no special definition in the claims when referring to “the brightness adjustment information for each pixel is a brightness adjustment value for each pixel”, and therefore “each pixel” can be interpreted determining the color luminance value for each pixel to determine if the pixel needs to be adjusted by Chao in ¶0092-¶0093. Therefore, the Examiner interprets that Chao teaches the main concept of adjusting the brightness of each pixel. The Examiner will maintain prior art Chao and details of the rejection are below.
In response to Argument 2, Applicant’s arguments, see Remarks, filed 08/20/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim 1, 10, and 19 under 35 U.S.C. 103 have been fully considered but are not persuasive. Therefore, the rejection will be maintained. The rejection is made for Claim 1, 10, 19 and its dependent claims under 35 U.S.C. 103 in view of Chao et al. (US Patent Publication CN109978777A (using US Patent Pub US20210295801A1 as translated document) hereafter referred to as Chao) in view of Bin et al. (Bin et al CN110120047A (using IP.com as translation document) hereafter referred to as Bin) in further view of Wang et al (US Patent Publication US 2018/0005410 A1) hereafter referred to as Wang).
The Examiner finds that Chao teaches on the claim language “the brightness adjustment information for each pixel is a brightness adjustment value for each pixel” and “the brightness adjustment information for the pixel being proportional to the brightness of the pixel”.
The Examiner finds that Chao teaches on the claim language. Chao teaches in ¶0010 and ¶0047 that the pixels are adjusted to a target luminance and ¶0015 discloses that the pixel luminance is adjusted to a target value and further teaches that each pixel is evaluated in ¶0092-¶0093. Applicant argues “However, claim 1 of Chao recites "A method for adjusting image luminance performed at an electronic device, the method comprising: determining a target pixel with original luminance lower than a luminance threshold ... ; and adjusting the target pixel to corresponding target luminance", it can be seen that in Chao, luminance adjustment is performed only on the target pixel with original luminance lower than a luminance threshold”. The Examiner finds that since each pixel in evaluated in Chao as disclosed in ¶0092-¶0093 it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art that each pixel is evaluated for brightness, however the brightness of the pixel is only changed if needed as disclosed in ¶0092 and ¶0141 which can be interpreted as adjusting the brightness information according to the value being proportional, therefore if there is no need to adjust the value of the brightness adjustment could be zero as shown in ¶0142. The Examiner finds that during prosecution; claims must be given their broadest reasonable interpretation while reading claim language in light of the specification as it would be interpreted by one of ordinary skill in the art. In re Am. Acad. of Sci. Tech. Ctr., 367 F.3d 1359, 1364 (Fed. Cir. 2004). In construing the meaning of claims terms, caution must be taken not to import limitations from the specification as “[i]t is the claims that measure the invention.” See SRI Int’l v. Matsushita Elec. Corp. of Am., 775 F.2d 1107, 1121 (Fed. Cir. 1985) (en banc) The Examiner interprets that under broadest reasonable interpretation “proportional” have no special definition in the claims when referring to “brightness adjustment information for the pixel being proportional to the brightness of the pixel”, and therefore “proportional” can be interpreted as a comparison to the brightness values of the other pixels in the image and changing the brightness value based on the comparison as disclosed by Chao in ¶0042-¶0043 and ¶0142. Therefore, the Examiner interprets that Chao teaches the main concept of adjusting the brightness of the pixels based on the comparison of brightness of other pixels in the image. The Examiner will maintain prior art Chao and details of the rejection are below.
In response to Argument 3, Applicant’s arguments, see Remarks, filed 08/20/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim 1, 10, and 19 under 35 U.S.C. 103 have been fully considered but are not persuasive. Therefore, the rejection will be maintained. The rejection is made for Claim 1, 10, 19 and its dependent claims under 35 U.S.C. 103 in view of Chao et al. (US Patent Publication CN109978777A (using US Patent Pub US20210295801A1 as translated document) hereafter referred to as Chao) in view of Bin et al. (Bin et al CN110120047A (using IP.com as translation document) hereafter referred to as Bin) in further view of Wang et al (US Patent Publication US 2018/0005410 A1) hereafter referred to as Wang).
The Examiner finds that Wang teaches on the claim language “the brightness adjustment information for each pixel is a brightness adjustment value for each pixel” and “the brightness adjustment information for the pixel being proportional to the brightness of the pixel”.
The Examiner finds that Wang teaches on the claim language. Wang teaches determining the brightness adjustment value for each pixel in ¶0060 and ¶0064 and further discloses how the brightness value is determinized in ¶0061 and ¶0062. Applicant argues “However, claim 1 of Chao recites " Wang, when f(i)> 1. 0, then 11l(x)>0, meaning that image Mi is to be adjusted to increase its brightness, the luminance adjustment amount values for brighter pixels are smaller than the luminance adjustment amount values for darker pixels, which is opposite to the solution, "the brightness adjustment information for each pixel is a brightness adjustment value for each pixel ... the brightness adjustment information for the pixel being proportional to the brightness of the pixel" as defined by the distinguishing feature (a) of claim 1. Therefore, Wang also fails to disclose the distinguishing feature (a)”. The Examiner finds that Wang successfully teaches adjusting the pixels proportionally based on a sum function in ¶0060-¶0062. The Examiner finds that during prosecution; claims must be given their broadest reasonable interpretation while reading claim language in light of the specification as it would be interpreted by one of ordinary skill in the art. In re Am. Acad. of Sci. Tech. Ctr., 367 F.3d 1359, 1364 (Fed. Cir. 2004). In construing the meaning of claims terms, caution must be taken not to import limitations from the specification as “[i]t is the claims that measure the invention.” See SRI Int’l v. Matsushita Elec. Corp. of Am., 775 F.2d 1107, 1121 (Fed. Cir. 1985) (en banc) The Examiner interprets that under broadest reasonable interpretation “proportional” have no special definition in the claims when referring to “brightness adjustment information for the pixel being proportional to the brightness of the pixel”, and therefore “proportional” can be interpreted as the sun function that adjusts the pixels as disclosed by Wang in ¶0061 since the applicant only clearly specifies that the brightness value is determined by a sum proportionally, the claims do not currently specify how the pixels are brightened proportionally, therefore the cited refence covers the broadest reasonable interpretation of how the brightness is adjusted proportionally. Therefore, the Examiner interprets that Wang teaches the concept of adjusting the brightness of the pixels. The Examiner will maintain prior art Wang and details of the rejection are below.
Claim Interpretation
The claims in this application are given their broadest reasonable interpretation using the plain meaning of the claim language in light of the specification as it would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. The broadest reasonable interpretation of a claim element (also commonly referred to as a claim limitation) is limited by the description in the specification.
Under MPEP 2143.03, "All words in a claim must be considered in judging the patentability of that claim against the prior art." In re Wilson, 424 F.2d 1382, 1385, 165 USPQ 494, 496 (CCPA 1970). As a general matter, the grammar and ordinary meaning of terms as understood by one having ordinary skill in the art used in a claim will dictate whether, and to what extent, the language limits the claim scope. Language that suggests or makes a feature or step optional but does not require that feature or step does not limit the scope of a claim under the broadest reasonable claim interpretation. In addition, when a claim requires selection of an element from a list of alternatives, the prior art teaches the element if one of the alternatives is taught by the prior art. See, e.g., Fresenius USA, Inc. v. Baxter Int’l, Inc., 582 F.3d 1288, 1298, 92 USPQ2d 1163, 1171 (Fed. Cir. 2009).
Claim 6 recite “at least one of ” then listing “brightness of each pixel in the image, a position of each pixel in the image, and an image recognized object”. Since “at least one of” is disjunctive, any one of the elements found in the prior art is sufficient to reject the claim. While citations have been provided for completeness and rapid prosecution, only one element is required. Because, on balance, it appears the disjunctive interpretation enjoys the most specification support and for that reason the disjunctive interpretation (one of A, B OR C) is being adopted for the purposes of this Office Action. Applicant’s comments and/or amendments relating to this issue are invited to clarify the claim language and the prosecution history.
Claim 16 recite “at least one of ” then listing “brightness of each pixel in the image, a position of each pixel in the image, and an image recognized object”. Since “at least one of” is disjunctive, any one of the elements found in the prior art is sufficient to reject the claim. While citations have been provided for completeness and rapid prosecution, only one element is required. Because, on balance, it appears the disjunctive interpretation enjoys the most specification support and for that reason the disjunctive interpretation (one of A, B OR C) is being adopted for the purposes of this Office Action. Applicant’s comments and/or amendments relating to this issue are invited to clarify the claim language and the prosecution history.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1, 3, 5-8, 10, 13, 15-19 and 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as unpatentable over Chao et al. (US Patent Publication CN109978777A (using US Patent Pub US20210295801A1 as translated document) hereafter referred to as Chao) in view of Bin et al. (Bin et al CN110120047A (using IP.com as translation document) hereafter referred to as Bin) in further view of Wang et al (US Patent Publication US 2018/0005410 A1) hereafter referred to as Wang).
Regarding Claim 1, Chao teaches an image brightness adjustment method (Chao ¶0005 discloses a method for adjusting image luminance), comprising:
obtaining a first image to be adjusted (Chao ¶0130, 0021 discloses an original image to be adjusted);
determining a brightness adjustment strategy based on brightness of the first image portion (Chao ¶0115, ¶0136 discloses determining an adjustment intensity using a formula containing the luminance distribution of the adjacent pixels) and performing brightness adjustment on the first image portion (Chao ¶0130, 0021 discloses an original image to be adjusted) in accordance with the brightness adjustment strategy (Chai ¶0015 discloses an adjustment module that adjusts the pixel luminance to a target value), to obtain a second image portion (Chao ¶0129 discloses generating a second image from the first image); and
obtaining a second image (Chao ¶0129 discloses generating a second image from the first image)
in the first image (Chao ¶0130, 0021 discloses an original image to be adjusted), the first image portion with the second image portion (Chao ¶0129 discloses generating a second image corresponding to the original image),
wherein said determining the brightness adjustment strategy based on the brightness of the first image portion (Chao ¶0115, ¶0136 discloses determining an adjustment intensity using a formula containing the luminance distribution of the adjacent pixels) and performing the brightness adjustment on the first image portion (Chao ¶0130, 0021 discloses an original image to be adjusted) in accordance with the brightness adjustment strategy (Chai ¶0015 discloses an adjustment module that adjusts the pixel luminance to a target value), comprises:
determining brightness adjustment information for each pixel (Chao ¶0092-¶0093 discloses determining the color luminance value in each pixel to determine if the pixel needs to be adjusted) in the first image portion based on overall brightness of the first image portion (Chao ¶0141 and Fig 14 discloses an overall luminance map generated from the original image), wherein the brightness adjustment information for each pixel (Chai ¶0015 discloses an adjustment module that adjusts the pixel luminance to a target value)
adjusting brightness of each pixel in the first image portion (Chao ¶0010, ¶0047 discloses adjusting the pixel to target luminance in the original image) based on the brightness adjustment information of the pixel (Chai ¶0015 discloses an adjustment module that adjusts the pixel luminance to a target value) in the first image portion (Chao ¶0130, 0021 discloses an original image to be adjusted), wherein the adjusting brightness of each pixel in the first image portion (Chao ¶0010, ¶0047 discloses adjusting the pixel to target luminance in the original image) based on the brightness adjustment information of the pixel (Chai ¶0015 discloses an adjustment module that adjusts the pixel luminance to a target value) in the first image portion (Chao ¶0130, 0021 discloses an original image to be adjusted)
wherein said determining the brightness adjustment information for each pixel (Chao ¶0092-¶0093 discloses determining the color luminance value in each pixel to determine if the pixel needs to be adjusted) in the first image portion (Chao ¶0130, 0021 discloses an original image to be adjusted) based on the overall brightness of the first image portion (Chao ¶0141 and Fig 14 discloses an overall luminance map generated from the original image) comprises:
obtaining the brightness of each pixel in the first image portion (Chao ¶0092, ¶0141, discloses obtaining a luminance value for each pixel in the original image);
for any one of pixels in the first image portion (Chao ¶0142 discloses each pixel being processed for luminance determination) determining brightness adjustment information (Chao ¶0092-¶0093 discloses determining the color luminance value in each pixel to determine if the pixel needs to be adjusted) for the pixel based on brightness of the pixel and the overall brightness of the first image portion (Chao ¶0142 discloses the pixel luminance value being compared to the overall luminance value of the original image to determine the luminance adjustment), the brightness adjustment information for the pixel being proportional to the brightness of the pixel (Chao ¶0142 discloses comparing pixel luminescence to overall image luminesce and adjusting the pixel based on the calculation of the difference in luminance between the overall luminance and the pixel luminance).
Chao does not explicitly teach dividing the first image into a plurality of image portions, for a first image portion of the plurality of image portions, by replacing.
Bin is in the same field of image segmentation. Further, Bin teaches dividing the first image into a plurality of image portions (Bin Pg 3 ¶07-¶09 discloses acquiring an input image to be split Bin Pg 10 ¶09-¶13 discloses the image being split into as many pieces as the image parted pattern requires);
for a first image portion of the plurality of image portions (Bin Pg 10 ¶09-¶13 discloses the image being split into as many pieces as the image parted pattern requires), by replacing (Bin Pg 8 ¶04 discloses replacing the pixel values).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Chao by incorporating the image segmentation method used to segment and process the images, as taught by Bin, to make an invention that can automatically segment the images to be automatically processed for the brightness adjustment for a more efficient process; thus, one of ordinary skilled in the art would be motivated to combine the references since an object of the present invention is to improve the precision of segmentation (Bin, Pg 2 Background).
Thus, the claimed subject matter would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Chao and Bin in combination do not explicitly disclose is a brightness adjustment value for each pixel, comprises taking a sum, obtained by adding a current brightness value of the pixel and the brightness adjustment value for the pixel, as an adjusted brightness of the pixel.
Wang is in the same field of automated image brightness adjustment. Further, Wang teaches is a brightness adjustment value for each pixel (Wang ¶0060, ¶0064 discloses determining a luminance adjustment amount value for each pixel); and
comprises taking a sum (Wang ¶0061 discloses determining the luminance value of the pixel after adjustment being determined by a sum I'(x)=I(x)+llI(x)), obtained by adding a current brightness value of the pixel and the brightness adjustment value for the pixel, as an adjusted brightness of the pixel (Wang ¶0060-¶0062 discloses a calculation for determining the adjusted value of the pixel based on luminance value before adjustment and the adjustment factor of the pixel).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Chao in view of Bin by incorporating a brightness adjustment value for each pixel to be able to add the value of the brightness pixel with the adjustment value to output a new value, as taught by Wang, to make an invention that can automatically assign the adjustment value to the pixels so that they may be automatically processed for the brightness adjustment for a more efficient process; thus, one of ordinary skilled in the art would be motivated to combine the references since an object of the present invention is to address the need for a method that can prevent or reduce over exposure or under exposure during brightness adjustment is needed (Wang ¶0005).
Thus, the claimed subject matter would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Regarding Claim 3, Chao in view of Bin in further view of Wang teaches the method according to claim 1, wherein all pixels in the first image portion correspond to the same brightness adjustment information (Chao ¶0085 discloses a single color value being obtained for all of the pixels of the original image, ¶0066 discloses the luminance adjustment curve being used for all of the pixels in the original image). See rationale for Claim 1, its parent claim.
Regarding Claim 5, Chao in view of Bin in further view of Wang teaches the method according to claim 1, further comprising, prior (Chao ¶0074- ¶0077 discloses determining the overall luminance of the image before a target luminance is determined) to said obtaining the first image to be adjusted (Chao ¶0130, 0021 discloses an original image to be adjusted):
obtaining an initial image to be adjusted (Chao ¶0130, 0021 discloses an original image to be adjusted); and
performing brightness adjustment on the initial image based on overall brightness (Chao ¶0074- ¶0077 discloses determining the overall luminance of the image before a target luminance is determined) of the initial image, to obtain the first image (Chao ¶0082-¶0083 discloses determining the luminance value for the original image to get the first image). See rationale for Claim 1, its parent claim.
Regarding Claim 6, Chao in view of Bin in further view of Wang teaches the method according to claim 1, wherein said dividing the first image into the plurality of image portions (Bin Pg 3 ¶07-¶09 discloses acquiring an input image to be split Bin Pg 10 ¶09-¶13 discloses the image being split into as many pieces as the image parted pattern requires) comprises:
dividing the first image into the plurality of image portions (Bin Pg 3 ¶07-¶09 discloses acquiring an input image to be split Bin Pg 10 ¶09-¶13 discloses the image being split into as many pieces as the image parted pattern requires) according to at least one of brightness of each pixel in the image (Chao ¶0003, ¶0093, discloses the brightness of each pixel being determined), a position of each pixel in the image (Chao ¶0089 discloses obtaining a first position of a pixel), and an image recognized object(Bin Pg 8 ¶02 and Pg 10 ¶10 discloses recognizing noise in an image an basing subsequent segmentation off of the noise and its preprocessing). See rationale for Claim 1, its parent claim.
Regarding Claim 7, Chao in view of Bin in further view of Wang teaches the method according to claim 1, wherein said obtaining the second image (Chao ¶0129 discloses generating a second image from the first image) by replacing (Bin Pg 8 ¶04 discloses replacing the pixel values), in the first (Chao ¶0130, 0021 discloses an original image to be adjusted), the first image portion with the second image portion (Chao ¶0129 discloses generating a second image corresponding to the original image) comprises:
determining the second image (Chao ¶0129 discloses generating a second image) portion (Dan Pg 13 ¶5 discloses an area of interest being determined) and image portions in the first image other than (Chao ¶0058 discloses the selected pixels changing based off of the target pixel luminance value) the first image portion(Dan Pg 13 ¶5 discloses an area of interest being determined) as images to be spliced (Bin Pg 12 ¶04 and Pg 14 ¶05 and discloses two areas of interest being spliced);
obtaining images in different resolutions (Chao ¶0127 discloses generating images with different resolutions), the images in different resolutions comprising (Chao ¶0127 discloses generating images with different resolutions) the images to be spliced (Bin Pg 12 ¶04 and Pg 14 ¶05 and discloses two areas of interest being spliced) and images obtained by down-sampling (Bin Pg 3 ¶12 discloses down sampling the images) the images to be spliced (Bin Pg 12 ¶04 and Pg 14 ¶05 and discloses two areas of interest being spliced);
obtaining a spliced image corresponding (Bin Pg 9 ¶03 discloses splicing and image to the have the same scale) to each resolution (Chao ¶0127 discloses generating images with different resolutions) by splicing images in the resolution (Bin Pg 9 ¶03 discloses splicing and the output image to the have the same scale) ; and
obtaining the second image (Chao ¶0088 discloses obtaining a second image) by fusing the spliced images (Bin Pg 13 ¶05-¶11 discloses the multiscale fusion process for the images to be fused) corresponding to individual resolutions (Chao ¶0084 discloses the first image with the resolution of 1x1 and ¶0096 an image having a resolution of 64x64). See rationale for Claim 1, its parent claim.
Regarding Claim 8, Chao in view of Bin in further view of Wang teaches the method according to claim 7, wherein said obtaining the second image (Chao ¶0088 discloses obtaining a second image) by fusing the spliced images (Bin Pg 13 ¶05-¶11 discloses the multiscale fusion process for the images to be fused) corresponding to individual resolutions (Chao ¶0084 discloses the first image with the resolution of 1x1 and ¶0096 an image having a resolution of 64x64) comprises:
obtaining a fusion image (Bin Pg 13 ¶05-¶11 discloses the multiscale fusion process for the images to be fused) by determining a spliced image (Bin Pg 9¶03 discloses splicing and image to the have the same scale) in the lowest resolution as a current image (Chao ¶0084 discloses the first image with the resolution of 1x1) and performing a fusion operation (Bin Pg 13 ¶05-¶11 discloses the multiscale fusion process for the images to be fused); and
repeatedly performing (Chao ¶0077 discloses a repetitive process for determining the image) the fusion operation by using the fusion image (Bin Pg 13 ¶05-¶11 discloses the multiscale fusion process for the images to be fused) as the current image (Bin Pg 9 ¶04 discloses the fusion and scaling of the image happening simultaneously on the current image) and until a resolution of the fusion image is equal to the highest resolution (Bin Pg 9 ¶04 discloses a scale step so that the output is the same resolution), wherein the fusion operation (Bin Pg 13 ¶05-¶11 discloses the multiscale fusion process for the images to be fused) comprises:
performing up-sampling on the current image to obtain an up-sampled image (Bin Pg 9 ¶02 and Pg 4 ¶01 discloses up sampling the image), wherein the up-sampled image has a resolution equal (Bin Pg 9 ¶04 discloses a scale step so that the output is the same resolution) to a resolution of an adjacent image (Chao ¶0107, ¶0106 discloses the adjacent pixels being used to determine the brightness of the image) of the current image, and the adjacent image (Chao ¶0107, ¶0106 discloses the adjacent pixels being used to determine the brightness of the image) is a spliced image (Bin Pg 13 ¶05-¶11 discloses the multiscale fusion process for the images to be fused) with a resolution greater than and having a minimum difference (Chao ¶0113 discloses have a greater difference from the current image) from a resolution of the current image (Chao ¶0127 discloses generating images with different resolutions);
obtaining the fusion image (Bin Pg 13 ¶05-¶11 discloses the multiscale fusion process for the images to be fused) by fusing the up-sampled image (Bin Pg 9 ¶02 and Pg 4 ¶01 discloses up sampling the image) with the adjacent image (Chao ¶0107, ¶0106 discloses the adjacent pixels being used to determine the brightness of the image). See rationale for Claim 1, its parent claim.
Regarding Claim 10, Chao teaches an electronic device (Chao ¶0005 discloses and electronic device), comprising:
one or more processors (Chao ¶0134 discloses using one or more processors);
a memory (Chao ¶0134 discloses using a memory); and
one or more applications, wherein the one or more applications are stored in the memory (Chao ¶0018 discloses a plurality of computer programs being stored in a memory) and configured to be executed by the one or more processors (Chao ¶0018 discloses a method being executed by a processor of an electronic device) to perform operations comprising:
obtaining a first image to be adjusted (Chao ¶0130, 0021 discloses an original image to be adjusted);
determining a brightness adjustment strategy based on brightness of the first image portion (Chao ¶0115, ¶0136 discloses determining an adjustment intensity using a formula containing the luminance distribution of the adjacent pixels) and performing brightness adjustment on the first image portion(Chao ¶0130, 0021 discloses an original image to be adjusted) in accordance with the brightness adjustment strategy (Chai ¶0015 discloses an adjustment module that adjusts the pixel luminance to a target value), to obtain a second image portion (Chao ¶0129 discloses generating a second image from the first image); and
obtaining a second image (Chao ¶0129 discloses generating a second image from the first image) in the first image (Chao ¶0130, 0021 discloses an original image to be adjusted), the first image portion with the second image portion (Chao ¶0129 discloses generating a second image corresponding to the original image)
wherein said determining the brightness adjustment strategy based on the brightness of the first image portion (Chao ¶0115, ¶0136 discloses determining an adjustment intensity using a formula containing the luminance distribution of the adjacent pixels) and performing the brightness adjustment on the first image portion (Chao ¶0130, 0021 discloses an original image to be adjusted) in accordance with the brightness adjustment strategy (Chai ¶0015 discloses an adjustment module that adjusts the pixel luminance to a target value), comprises:
determining brightness adjustment information for each pixel (Chao ¶0092-¶0093 discloses determining the color luminance value in each pixel to determine if the pixel needs to be adjusted) in the first image portion based on overall brightness of the first image portion (Chao ¶0141 and Fig 14 discloses an overall luminance map generated from the original image), wherein the brightness adjustment information for each pixel (Chai ¶0015 discloses an adjustment module that adjusts the pixel luminance to a target value)
adjusting brightness of each pixel in the first image portion (Chao ¶0010, ¶0047 discloses adjusting the pixel to target luminance in the original image) based on the brightness adjustment information of the pixel (Chai ¶0015 discloses an adjustment module that adjusts the pixel luminance to a target value) in the first image portion (Chao ¶0130, 0021 discloses an original image to be adjusted), wherein the adjusting brightness of each pixel in the first image portion (Chao ¶0010, ¶0047 discloses adjusting the pixel to target luminance in the original image) based on the brightness adjustment information of the pixel (Chai ¶0015 discloses an adjustment module that adjusts the pixel luminance to a target value) in the first image portion (Chao ¶0130, 0021 discloses an original image to be adjusted)
wherein said determining the brightness adjustment information for each pixel (Chao ¶0092-¶0093 discloses determining the color luminance value in each pixel to determine if the pixel needs to be adjusted) in the first image portion (Chao ¶0130, 0021 discloses an original image to be adjusted) based on the overall brightness of the first image portion (Chao ¶0141 and Fig 14 discloses an overall luminance map generated from the original image) comprises:
obtaining the brightness of each pixel in the first image portion (Chao ¶0092, ¶0141, discloses obtaining a luminance value for each pixel in the original image);
for any one of pixels in the first image portion (Chao ¶0142 discloses each pixel being processed for luminance determination) determining brightness adjustment information (Chao ¶0092-¶0093 discloses determining the color luminance value in each pixel to determine if the pixel needs to be adjusted) for the pixel based on brightness of the pixel and the overall brightness of the first image portion (Chao ¶0142 discloses the pixel luminance value being compared to the overall luminance value of the original image to determine the luminance adjustment), the brightness adjustment information for the pixel being proportional to the brightness of the pixel (Chao ¶0142 discloses comparing pixel luminescence to overall image luminesce and adjusting the pixel based on the calculation of the difference in luminance between the overall luminance and the pixel luminance).
Chao does not explicitly teach dividing the first image into a plurality of image portions, for a first image portion of the plurality of image portions, by replacing.
Bin is in the same field of image segmentation. Further, Bin teaches dividing the first image into a plurality of image portions (Bin Pg 3 ¶07-¶09 discloses acquiring an input image to be split);
for a first image portion of the plurality of image portions (Bin Pg 10 ¶09-¶13 discloses the image being split into as many pieces as the image parted pattern requires), by replacing (Bin Pg 8 ¶04 discloses replacing the pixel values).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Chao by incorporating the image segmentation method used to segment and process the images, as taught by Bin, to make an invention that can automatically segment the images to be automatically processed for the brightness adjustment for a more efficient process; thus, one of ordinary skilled in the art would be motivated to combine the references since an object of the present invention is to improve the precision of segmentation (Bin, Pg 2 Background).
Thus, the claimed subject matter would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Chao and Bin in combination do not explicitly disclose a brightness adjustment value for each pixel, comprises taking a sum, obtained by adding a current brightness value of the pixel and the brightness adjustment value for the pixel, as an adjusted brightness of the pixel.
Wang is in the same field of automated image brightness adjustment. Further, Wang teaches is a brightness adjustment value for each pixel (Wang ¶0060, ¶0064 discloses determining a luminance adjustment amount value for each pixel); and
comprises taking a sum (Wang ¶0061 discloses determining the luminance value of the pixel after adjustment being determined by a sum I'(x)=I(x)+llI(x)), obtained by adding a current brightness value of the pixel and the brightness adjustment value for the pixel, as an adjusted brightness of the pixel (Wang ¶0060-¶0062 discloses a calculation for determining the adjusted value of the pixel based on luminance value before adjustment and the adjustment factor of the pixel).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Chao in view of Bin by incorporating a brightness adjustment value for each pixel to be able to add the value of the brightness pixel with the adjustment value to output a new value, as taught by Wang, to make an invention that can automatically assign the adjustment value to the pixels so that they may be automatically processed for the brightness adjustment for a more efficient process; thus, one of ordinary skilled in the art would be motivated to combine the references since an object of the present invention is to address the need for a method that can prevent or reduce over exposure or under exposure during brightness adjustment is needed (Wang ¶0005).
Thus, the claimed subject matter would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Regarding Claim 13, Chao in view of Bin in further view of Wang teaches the electronic device according to claim 10, wherein all pixels in the first image portion correspond to the same brightness adjustment information (Chao ¶0085 discloses a single color value being obtained for all of the pixels of the original image, ¶0066 discloses the luminance adjustment curve being used for all of the pixels in the original image). See rationale for Claim 10, its parent claim.
Regarding Claim 15, Chao in view of Bin in further view of Wang teaches the electronic device according to claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise, prior (Chao ¶0074- ¶0077 discloses determining the overall luminance of the image before a target luminance is determined) to said obtaining the first image to be adjusted (Chao ¶0130, 0021 discloses an original image to be adjusted):
obtaining an initial image to be adjusted (Chao ¶0130, 0021 discloses an original image to be adjusted); and
performing brightness adjustment on the initial image based on overall brightness (Chao ¶0074- ¶0077 discloses determining the overall luminance of the image before a target luminance is determined) of the initial image, to obtain the first image (Chao ¶0082-¶0083 discloses determining the luminance value for the original image to get the first image). See rationale for Claim 10, its parent claim.
Regarding Claim 16, Chao in view of Bin in further view of Wang teaches the electronic device according to claim 10,wherein said dividing the first image into the plurality of image portions (Bin Pg 3 ¶07-¶09 discloses acquiring an input image to be split Bin Pg 10 ¶09-¶13 discloses the image being split into as many pieces as the image parted pattern requires)comprises:
dividing the first image into the plurality of image portions (Bin Pg 3 ¶07-¶09 discloses acquiring an input image to be split Bin Pg 10 ¶09-¶13 discloses the image being split into as many pieces as the image parted pattern requires) according to at least one of brightness of each pixel in the image (Chao ¶0003, ¶0093, discloses the brightness of each pixel being determined), a position of each pixel in the image (Chao ¶0089 discloses obtaining a first position of a pixel), and an image recognized object (Bin Pg 8 ¶02 and Pg 10 ¶10 discloses recognizing noise in an image an basing subsequent segmentation off of the noise and its preprocessing). See rationale for Claim 10, its parent claim.
Regarding Claim 17, Chao in view of Bin in further view of Wang teaches the electronic device according to claim 10, wherein said obtaining the second image (Chao ¶0129 discloses generating a second image from the first image) by replacing (Bin Pg 8 ¶04 discloses replacing the pixel values), in the first (Chao ¶0130, 0021 discloses an original image to be adjusted), the first image portion with the second image portion (Chao ¶0129 discloses generating a second image corresponding to the original image) comprises:
determining the second image (Chao ¶0129 discloses generating a second image) portion (Dan Pg 13 ¶5 discloses an area of interest being determined) and image portions in the first image other than (Chao ¶0058 discloses the selected pixels changing based off of the target pixel luminance value) the first image portion(Dan Pg 13 ¶5 discloses an area of interest being determined) as images to be spliced (Bin Pg 12 ¶04 and Pg 14 ¶05 and discloses two areas of interest being spliced);
obtaining images in different resolutions (Chao ¶0127 discloses generating images with different resolutions), the images in different resolutions comprising (Chao ¶0127 discloses generating images with different resolutions) the images to be spliced (Bin Pg 12 ¶04 and Pg 14 ¶05 and discloses two areas of interest being spliced) and images obtained by down-sampling (Bin Pg 3 ¶12 discloses down sampling the images) the images to be spliced (Bin Pg 12 ¶04 and Pg 14 ¶05 and discloses two areas of interest being spliced);
obtaining a spliced image corresponding (Bin Pg 9¶03 discloses splicing and image to the have the same scale) to each resolution (Chao ¶0127 discloses generating images with different resolutions) by splicing images in the resolution (Bin Pg 9¶03 discloses splicing and the output image to the have the same scale) ; and
obtaining the second image (Chao ¶0088 discloses obtaining a second image) by fusing the spliced images (Bin Pg 13 ¶05-¶11 discloses the multiscale fusion process for the images to be fused) corresponding to individual resolutions (Chao ¶0084 discloses the first image with the resolution of 1x1 and ¶0096 an image having a resolution of 64x64). See rationale for Claim 10, its parent claim.
Regarding Claim 18, Chao in view of Bin in further view of Wang teaches the electronic device according to claim 17, wherein said obtaining the second image (Chao ¶0088 discloses obtaining a second image) by fusing the spliced images (Bin Pg 13 ¶05-¶11 discloses the multiscale fusion process for the images to be fused) corresponding to individual resolutions (Chao ¶0084 discloses the first image with the resolution of 1x1 and ¶0096 an image having a resolution of 64x64) comprises:
obtaining a fusion image (Bin Pg 13 ¶05-¶11 discloses the multiscale fusion process for the images to be fused) by determining a spliced image (Bin Pg 9¶03 discloses splicing and image to the have the same scale) in the lowest resolution as a current image (Chao ¶0084 discloses the first image with the resolution of 1x1) and performing a fusion operation (Bin Pg 13 ¶05-¶11 discloses the multiscale fusion process for the images to be fused); and
repeatedly performing (Chao ¶0077 discloses a repetitive process for determining the image) the fusion operation by using the fusion image (Bin Pg 13 ¶05-¶11 discloses the multiscale fusion process for the images to be fused) as the current image (Bin Pg 9 ¶04 discloses the fusion and scaling of the image happening simultaneously on the current image) and until a resolution of the fusion image is equal to the highest resolution (Bin Pg 9 ¶04 discloses a scale step so that the output is the same resolution), wherein the fusion operation (Bin Pg 13 ¶05-¶11 discloses the multiscale fusion process for the images to be fused) comprises:
performing up-sampling on the current image to obtain an up-sampled image (Bin Pg 9 ¶02 and Pg 4 ¶01 discloses up sampling the image), wherein the up-sampled image has a resolution equal (Bin Pg 9 ¶04 discloses a scale step so that the output is the same resolution) to a resolution of an adjacent image (Chao ¶0107, ¶0106 discloses the adjacent pixels being used to determine the brightness of the image) of the current image, and the adjacent image (Chao ¶0107, ¶0106 discloses the adjacent pixels being used to determine the brightness of the image) is a spliced image (Bin Pg 13 ¶05-¶11 discloses the multiscale fusion process for the images to be fused) with a resolution greater than and having a minimum difference (Chao ¶0113 discloses have a greater difference from the current image) from a resolution of the current image (Chao ¶0127 discloses generating images with different resolutions);
obtaining the fusion image (Bin Pg 13 ¶05-¶11 discloses the multiscale fusion process for the images to be fused) by fusing the up-sampled image (Bin Pg 9 ¶02 and Pg 4 ¶01 discloses up sampling the image) with the adjacent image (Chao ¶0107, ¶0106 discloses the adjacent pixels being used to determine the brightness of the image). See rationale for Claim 10, its parent claim.
Regarding Claim 19, Chao teaches a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, (Chao ¶0018, ¶0162 discloses a non-transitory computer readable storage medium) having a computer program stored thereon (Chao ¶0155 discloses a storage medium storing a computer program), wherein the computer program, when executed by a processor (Chao ¶0018 discloses a processor executing a computer program), performs operations comprising:
obtaining a first image to be adjusted (Chao ¶0130, 0021 discloses an original image to be adjusted);
determining a brightness adjustment strategy based on brightness of the first image portion (Chao ¶0115, ¶0136 discloses determining an adjustment intensity using a formula containing the luminance distribution of the adjacent pixels) and performing brightness adjustment on the first image portion (Chao ¶0130, 0021 discloses an original image to be adjusted) in accordance with the brightness adjustment strategy (Chai ¶0015 discloses an adjustment module that adjusts the pixel luminance to a target value), to obtain a second image portion (Chao ¶0129 discloses generating a second image from the first image); and
obtaining a second image (Chao ¶0129 discloses generating a second image from the first image) in the first image (Chao ¶0130, 0021 discloses an original image to be adjusted), the first image portion with the second image portion (Chao ¶0129 discloses generating a second image corresponding to the original image),
wherein said determining the brightness adjustment strategy based on the brightness of the first image portion (Chao ¶0115, ¶0136 discloses determining an adjustment intensity using a formula containing the luminance distribution of the adjacent pixels) and performing the brightness adjustment on the first image portion (Chao ¶0130, 0021 discloses an original image to be adjusted) in accordance with the brightness adjustment strategy (Chai ¶0015 discloses an adjustment module that adjusts the pixel luminance to a target value), comprises:
determining brightness adjustment information for each pixel (Chao ¶0092-¶0093 discloses determining the color luminance value in each pixel to determine if the pixel needs to be adjusted) in the first image portion based on overall brightness of the first image portion (Chao ¶0141 and Fig 14 discloses an overall luminance map generated from the original image), wherein the brightness adjustment information for each pixel (Chai ¶0015 discloses an adjustment module that adjusts the pixel luminance to a target value)
adjusting brightness of each pixel in the first image portion (Chao ¶0010, ¶0047 discloses adjusting the pixel to target luminance in the original image) based on the brightness adjustment information of the pixel (Chai ¶0015 discloses an adjustment module that adjusts the pixel luminance to a target value) in the first image portion (Chao ¶0130, 0021 discloses an original image to be adjusted), wherein the adjusting brightness of each pixel in the first image portion (Chao ¶0010, ¶0047 discloses adjusting the pixel to target luminance in the original image) based on the brightness adjustment information of the pixel (Chai ¶0015 discloses an adjustment module that adjusts the pixel luminance to a target value) in the first image portion (Chao ¶0130, 0021 discloses an original image to be adjusted)
wherein said determining the brightness adjustment information for each pixel (Chao ¶0092-¶0093 discloses determining the color luminance value in each pixel to determine if the pixel needs to be adjusted) in the first image portion (Chao ¶0130, 0021 discloses an original image to be adjusted) based on the overall brightness of the first image portion (Chao ¶0141 and Fig 14 discloses an overall luminance map generated from the original image) comprises:
obtaining the brightness of each pixel in the first image portion (Chao ¶0092, ¶0141, discloses obtaining a luminance value for each pixel in the original image);
for any one of pixels in the first image portion (Chao ¶0142 discloses each pixel being processed for luminance determination) determining brightness adjustment information (Chao ¶0092-¶0093 discloses determining the color luminance value in each pixel to determine if the pixel needs to be adjusted) for the pixel based on brightness of the pixel and the overall brightness of the first image portion (Chao ¶0142 discloses the pixel luminance value being compared to the overall luminance value of the original image to determine the luminance adjustment), the brightness adjustment information for the pixel being proportional to the brightness of the pixel (Chao ¶0142 discloses comparing pixel luminescence to overall image luminesce and adjusting the pixel based on the calculation of the difference in luminance between the overall luminance and the pixel luminance).
Chao does not explicitly teach dividing the first image into a plurality of image portions
for a first image portion of the plurality of image portions by replacing.
Bin is in the same field of image segmentation. Further, Bin teaches dividing the first image into a plurality of image portions(Bin Pg 3 ¶07-¶09 discloses acquiring an input image to be split);
for a first image portion of the plurality of image portions (Bin Pg 10 ¶09-¶13 discloses the image being split into as many pieces as the image parted pattern requires), by replacing (Bin Pg 8 ¶04 discloses replacing the pixel values).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Chao by incorporating the image segmentation method used to segment and process the images, as taught by Bin, to make an invention that can automatically segment the images to be automatically processed for the brightness adjustment for a more efficient process; thus, one of ordinary skilled in the art would be motivated to combine the references since an object of the present invention is to improve the precision of segmentation (Bin, Pg 2 Background).
Thus, the claimed subject matter would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Chao and Bin in combination do not explicitly disclose is a brightness adjustment value for each pixel comprises taking a sum, obtained by adding a current brightness value of the pixel and the brightness adjustment value for the pixel, as an adjusted brightness of the pixel.
Wang is in the same field of automated image brightness adjustment. Further, Wang teaches is a brightness adjustment value for each pixel (Wang ¶0060, ¶0064 discloses determining a luminance adjustment amount value for each pixel); and
comprises taking a sum (Wang ¶0061 discloses determining the luminance value of the pixel after adjustment being determined by a sum I'(x)=I(x)+llI(x)), obtained by adding a current brightness value of the pixel and the brightness adjustment value for the pixel, as an adjusted brightness of the pixel (Wang ¶0060-¶0062 discloses a calculation for determining the adjusted value of the pixel based on luminance value before adjustment and the adjustment factor of the pixel).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Chao in view of Bin by incorporating a brightness adjustment value for each pixel to be able to add the value of the brightness pixel with the adjustment value to output a new value, as taught by Wang, to make an invention that can automatically assign the adjustment value to the pixels so that they may be automatically processed for the brightness adjustment for a more efficient process; thus, one of ordinary skilled in the art would be motivated to combine the references since an object of the present invention is to address the need for a method that can prevent or reduce over exposure or under exposure during brightness adjustment is needed (Wang ¶0005).
Thus, the claimed subject matter would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Regarding Claim 21, Chao in view of Bin in further view of Wang teaches the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium (Chao ¶0018, ¶0162 discloses a non-transitory computer readable storage medium) according to claim 19, wherein all pixels in the first image portion correspond to the same brightness adjustment information (Chao ¶0085 discloses a single color value being obtained for all of the pixels of the original image, ¶0066 discloses the luminance adjustment curve being used for all of the pixels in the original image). See rationale for Claim 19, its parent claim.
Reference Cited
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure.
US Patent Pub US-20150063718-A1 to Mantzel et al. discloses techniques for enhancing low light images.
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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/RACHEL L ROBERTS/Examiner, Art Unit 2674
/ONEAL R MISTRY/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2674
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