Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. The present application is being examined under the pre-AIA first to invent provisions.
Response to Arguments
2. Applicant' s arguments, see pages 6-8, filed on 12/31/2025, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1 under 35 USC § 102(e) have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Zuo et al. (US 2010/0027686) under 35 USC § 103 using different interpretation of this previously applied reference.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
3. The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
(a) A patent may not be obtained though the invention is not identically disclosed or described as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the subject matter sought to be patented and the prior art are such that the subject matter as a whole would have been obvious at the time the invention was made to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
4. The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) 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.
5. Claims 1-3 and 5-8 rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Zuo et al. (US 2010/0027686) hereinafter “Zuo”.
As per claim 1, Zuo discloses a method of decoding video data at a first device comprising a video decoding apparatus (see decompression apparatus of FIG. 10 and paragraphs 0117-0118), the method comprising:
receiving, by the video decoding apparatus of the first device from a second device comprising a video encoder, an encoded video bitstream (Fig. 10; compressed stream input 20 is received by the decompression appparatus) including video data of a unit of pixels of at least one frame (paragraph 0043, Stream demultiplexer 22 extracts the compressed image data and supplies the extracted data to decompressor 24. Decompressor decompresses the image data and supplies the decompressed image data to post-filter 26), filter selection information for the unit of pixels (paragraph 0156, A simple extension to such implementation is to determine the optimal filtering order at the encoder side and signal the filter order with the stream, the output 157 would then be F(C), i.e. the filter coefficients and S(F), i.e. the order in which the filters are to be applied), and filter data embedded in the encoded video bitstream (paragraphs 0078, 0098, 0178 and 0199);
reconstructing, by the video decoding apparatus of the first device, pixel values of pixels of the unit of pixels of the at least one frame (Fig. 10; paragraphs 0104 and 0118) using one of intra-frame prediction or inter-frame prediction (paragraph 0117, FIG. 10 shows an application to predictive compression, wherein post-filtering is applied to a reference image. Herein post-filtered decompressed intra-coded images are used as a reference for predictive compression and decompression);
measuring…a gradient value of reconstructed pixel values for particular pixels of the unit of pixels, wherein the gradient value is one of a plurality of gradient values that includes a first gradient value and second gradient value, the first gradient value being different from the second gradient value (paragraph 0125, the horizontal gradient value ex and the vertical gradient value ey are calculated by convolving each window with two Sobel edge filters; paragraph 0195, gradients based clustering in the image after the decoding loop; see also paragraph 0132 regarding performing gradient at the decoder side);
determining, by the first device comprising the video decoding apparatus for the unit of pixels, a plurality of filter coefficients based on the filter data, the filter selection information, and the gradient value, comprising determining, using the gradient value, the plurality of filter coefficients based on the filter selection information received from the encoded video bitstream such that one plurality of filter coefficients is determined based on the gradient value for the particular pixels of the unit of pixels being the first gradient value and a different plurality of filter coefficients is determined based on the gradient value for the particular pixels of the unit of pixels being the second gradient value (paragraph 0007, A decompression apparatus according to claim 1 is provided. Herein for each of a plurality of pixels in a decompressed image the pixels are classified based on the content of the image in a respective window relative to the pixel. The classification is used to select a control parameter set from a plurality of control parameter sets that have been transmitted with the image. The selected control parameter set is used to control post-processing for the pixels. In this way it is made possible to use different post-processing at different pixels in the image. At pixels where different classes of features are detected, different control parameter sets for post-filtering may be used for example. Similarly where gradients in different directions occur, different control parameter sets for post-filtering may be used; paragraph 0132, By applying a gradient-based scheme, the selection of filters only involves the Sobel convolution and the table look-up for the right cluster. In addition, Clusters of pixels are defined for use in image compression and decompression. The image information used to define the clusters may include pixel values at predetermined positions relative to a pixel or related motion vectors, gradients, texture etc…wherein the control parameter set comprises filter coefficients for filtering or statistical data for locally generating texture as taught in the Abstract. See also paragraph 0156, which teaches that the filters applied in the decompression apparatus side are also based on the order of applying said filters S(F)),
applying, by the first device comprising the video decoding apparatus, the plurality of filter coefficients to a first reconstructed pixel value of the unit of pixels (Fig. 10 and paragraphs 0043, 0045 and 0120).
While the embodiment in FIG. 10 of Zuo does not discloses measuring the gradient value by the first device comprising the video decoding apparatus, Zuo clearly teaches in another embodiment measuring the gradient value by the first device comprising the video decoding apparatus (paragraph 0152, The procedure of determining which filters to apply can be seen as a classification process and can be performed at the decoder side without the need for any additional information. This has the advantage that no information on the classification needs to be transmitted, and at the decoder end the known classification schemes may be used).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one having skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the embodiment in FIG. 10 of Zuo in view of the teachings in paragraph 0152 of Zuo. Thus, reducing transmitted bits and overload and improves decoding accuracy.
As per claim 2, Zuo discloses the method of claim 1, wherein determining the plurality of filter coefficients comprises determining whether the gradient value is in a specified range (see figs. 11-12 and paragraphs 0126 and 0138).
As per claim 3, Zuo discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the unit of pixels comprises a macroblock (paragraphs 0146 and 0151, Filtering is conducted in-place at the macro-block level, with first horizontal filtering of the vertical edges, followed by vertical filtering of the horizontal ones).
As per claims 5-7, arguments analogous to those applied for claims 1-3 are applicable for claims 5-7. In addition, Zuo discloses using at least one processor configured to receive video data (i.e., image processor; see claim 11) and a memory configured to store reconstructed pixel values of the unit of pixels (Fig. 10, memory 74).
As per claim 8, Zuo discloses the apparatus of claim 5, further comprising a display device configured to display filtered decoded video data including filtered decoded pixel values (paragraph 0043).
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MOHAMMED JEBARI whose telephone number is (571)270-7945. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F: 09:00am-06:00pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Chris Kelley can be reached on 571-272-7331. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MOHAMMED JEBARI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2482
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