DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
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 final rejection. 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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 07/15/2026 has been entered.
This office action is a response to an application filed on 07/15/2026, in which claims 1-20 are pending and ready for examination.
Response to Amendment
Claims 1-4, 7-8, and 13-17 are currently amended.
Response to Argument
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims rejected under 35 USC 102 and 103 in Remarks filed on 10/24/2025 have been considered but are moot upon further consideration and a new ground of rejection made under 35 USC 103 based on Jang (WO 2020262929 A1) in view of Ko (WO 2020149725 A1).
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 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.
Claims 1-6 and 13-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jang (WO 2020262929 A1) in view of Ko (WO 2020149725 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Jang discloses, in a first embodiment, an image decoding device comprising a circuit, wherein the circuit (Jang; Para. [0353]. A video decoding system/method includes at least a circuit.).
But it does not disclose decodes a first syntax for controlling, at a sequence level, the possibility of application of a geometric partitioning mode to an entire decoding target sequence comprising a plurality of blocks, and controls, according to a value of the decoded first syntax, whether or not to decode a second syntax, the second syntax being a syntax for controlling, at the sequence level, the possibility of application of an intra prediction mode to the geometric partitioning mode of the decoding target sequence, wherein: in a case where the value of the decoded first syntax is a first value, the circuit decodes the second syntax, and in a case where the value of the decoded first syntax is a value other than the first value, the circuit does not decode the second syntax.
However, Jang teaches, in other embodiments, decodes a first syntax for controlling the possibility of application of a geometric partitioning mode (Jang; Para. [0274-276]. A first syntax, e.g. sps_triangle_enabled_flag, is decoded for controlling the use of GPM/TPM (triangular partition).), and
controls, according to a value of the decoded first syntax, whether or not to decode a second syntax, the second syntax being a syntax for controlling the possibility of application of an intra prediction mode to the geometric partitioning mode (Jang; Para. [0254]. A second syntax, e.g. ciip_flag, is decoded according to a value of a decoded first syntax for controlling the use of an intra prediction mode to a GPM/TPM mode.),
wherein: in a case where the value of the decoded first syntax is a first value, the circuit decodes the second syntax (Jang; Para. [0274-276]. For a decoded first syntax being a first value, a second syntax is decoded.), and
in a case where the value of the decoded first syntax is a value other than the first value, the circuit does not decode the second syntax (Jang; Para. [0274-276]. For a decoded first syntax being a second value, a second syntax is not decoded.).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person with ordinary skill in the pertinent before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to further modify the video coding system of Jang in a first embodiment to adapt a syntax/indication processing approach, by incorporating Jang’s teaching in other embodiments wherein intra coding flag is decoded depending on a GPM/TPM mode flag, for the motivation to perform video coding with CIIP flags and partitioning mode flags (Jang; Abstract.).
But, modified Jang does not specifically teach decodes a first syntax for controlling, at a sequence level, the possibility of application of a geometric partitioning mode to an entire decoding target sequence comprising a plurality of blocks, and controls, according to a value of the decoded first syntax, at the sequence level, the possibility of application of an intra prediction mode to the geometric partitioning mode of the decoding target sequence.
However, Ko teaches decodes a first syntax for controlling, at a sequence level, the possibility of application of a geometric partitioning mode to an entire decoding target sequence comprising a plurality of blocks (Ko; Para. [0148-149]. A first syntax is decoded at a sequence level for controlling the use of GPM/TPM for an entire sequence of blocks.), and
controls, according to a value of the decoded first syntax, at the sequence level, the possibility of application of an intra prediction mode to the geometric partitioning mode of the decoding target sequence (Ko; Para. [0148-149]. A second syntax is decoded at a sequence level for controlling the use of intra prediction mode with GPM/TPM for an entire sequence of blocks.).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person with ordinary skill in the pertinent before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to further modify the video coding system of modified Jang to adapt a syntax/indication processing approach, by incorporating Ko’s teaching wherein GPM/TPM enabling flag and intra coding flag are signaled in the sequence level, for the motivation to perform video coding by signaling multiple prediction modes (Ko; Abstract.).
Regarding claim 2, modified Jang further teaches decodes the second syntax when the value of the decoded first syntax is 1 (Jang; Para. [0274-276]. A second syntax is decoded for a value of a first decoded syntax being 1.); and
does not decode the second syntax when the value of the decoded first syntax is
not 1 (Jang; Para. [0274-276]. A second syntax is not decoded for a value of a first decoded syntax not being 1.).
Regarding claim 3, modified Jang further teaches decodes a third syntax for controlling a number of types of intra prediction modes applicable to the geometric partitioning mode of the decoding target sequence when the value of the decoded second syntax is 1 (Jang; Para. [0328]. For a value of a decoded second syntax being 1, a third syntax is decoded for controlling a number of intra prediction modes, i.e. IntraPredMode, for GPM/TPM.); and does not decode the third syntax when the value of the decoded second syntax is not 1 (Jang; Para. [0328]. For a value of a decoded second syntax being not 1, a third syntax is not decoded for controlling a number of intra prediction modes, i.e. IntraPredMode, for GPM/TPM.).
Regarding claim 4, modified Jang further teaches infers a value of a first internal parameter for controlling whether to apply the geometric partitioning mode to a decoding target block under a first predetermined condition when the value of the decoded second syntax is not 1 (Jang; Para. [0254, 274-276]. A value of a first internal parameter, e.g. MerTriangleFlag at a first position, for GPM/TPM mode is determined for a first condition of a decode second syntax being not 1.); and infers a value of a second internal parameter for controlling whether to apply the geometric partitioning mode to the decoding target block under a second predetermined condition when the value of the decoded second syntax is 1 (Jang; Para. [0254, 274-276]. A value of a second internal parameter, e.g. MerTriangleFlag at a second position, for GPM/TPM mode is determined for a first condition of a decode second syntax being 1.).
Regarding claim 5, modified Jang further teaches the second predetermined condition includes a condition that a fourth syntax indicating a type of a decoding target slice is a B-slice or a P-slice (Jang; Para. [0254, 274-276]. A second condition includes a fourth syntax of slice_type being B-slice.).
Regarding claim 6, modified Jang further teaches decodes a fifth syntax specifying a partitioning shape of the geometric partitioning mode of the decoding target block when the value of the first internal parameter or the second internal parameter is 1 (Jang; Para. [0254]. For a first internal parameter or a second internal parameter being 1, a fifth syntax is decoded for indicating a partition shape of GPM/TPM.); and does not decode the fifth syntax when the value of the first internal parameter or the second internal parameter is not 1 (Jang; Para. [0254]. For a first internal parameter or a second internal parameter being not 1, a fifth syntax is not decoded for indicating a partition shape of GPM/TPM.).
Regarding claim 15, modified Jang further teaches decode coded image data including the decoding target sequence, in accordance with the decoded first syntax and the decoded second syntax, and output an image signal obtained by decoding the coded image data (Jang; Para. [0254, 274-276]. Coded video data of a video sequence is decoded according to a decoded first syntax and a decoded second syntax, and video signal is generated by decoding coded video data.).
Regarding claim 18, modified Jang further teaches the second syntax controls whether to decode another syntax for specifying, at a region level, whether or not to apply the intra prediction mode to the geometric partitioning mode of a decoding target block within the decoding target sequence (Ko; Para. [0163]. A second syntax is used to decode another CIPP-related syntax for the use of intra mode or inter mode at a lower region level, to GPM/TPM.).
Claim 13, 16, and 19, are directed to an image decoding method, comprising a sequence of processing steps corresponding to the same as claimed in claims 1, 15, 18, and is non-patentable over the prior art for the same reason previously indicated.
Claim 14, 17, and 20 are directed to a program stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium for causing a computer to function as an image decoding device, the image decoding device comprising a circuit, wherein: the circuit performs a sequence of processing steps corresponding to the same as claimed in claim 1, 15, 18, and is non-patentable over the prior art for the same reason previously indicated.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7-12 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Chiang (US Pub. 20200275112 A1) teaches a video coding system that performs a first and second coding modes involving CIIP.
Jang (US Pub. 20230319261 A1) teaches a video coding system that performs CIIP in conjunction with triangle partition mode.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALBERT KIR whose telephone number is (571)272-6245. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 8:30am - 5:00pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jay Patel can be reached at (571) 272-2988. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ALBERT KIR/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2485
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