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 .
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 April 13, 2026 has been entered.
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.
Claim(s) 8 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.
The term “limited” in claim(s) 1 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “limited” is not defined by the claim, 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. The limited region could be simple the non-zero transform coefficient or a whole picture. The applicant’s use of the term “limited region” is not a term that would be commonly recognized by one of ordinary skill in the art and thus a general meaning and broadest reasonable interpretation is applied.
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.
Claim(s) 8 – 10, 12 – 14, 16 – 18, and 20 - 22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhao et al (US 2018/0020218, hereafter Zhao) in view of Cherepanov et al (US 2017/0034530, hereafter Cherepanov).
As per claim 8, Zhao discloses a method for decoding a video signal, comprising:
determining a non-zero region in a current transform block based on a width and a height of the current transform block (¶ 105 and 106), wherein a last non-zero transform coefficient is positioned in the non-zero region, wherein (¶ 146);
in response to the width and the height of the current transform block satisfying a preset condition, the non-zero region is a limited region, wherein a number of pixels in the non-zero is a specific number (¶ 131); and
in response to the width and the height of the current transform block not satisfying the preset condition, a width and a height of the non-zero region is determined based on the width and the height of the current transform block (¶ 131);
obtaining first information regarding a position of the last non-zero transform coefficient, wherein the first information regarding a position of the last non-zero transform coefficient comprises prefix information of a horizontal position and prefix information of a vertical position for the last non-zero transform coefficient, and suffix information of a horizontal position and suffix information of a vertical position for the last non-zero transform coefficient (¶ 110 and 146); and
decoding the current transform block based on the position of the last non-zero transform coefficient (¶ 28 and 33).
However, Zhao does not explicitly teach wherein response to the width and the height of the transform block being equal to a specific value, the non-zero region is limited region, wherein a number of pixels in the non-zero region is a specific number.
In the same field of endeavor, teaches wherein response to the width and the height of the transform block being equal to a specific value, the non-zero region is limited region, wherein a number of pixels in the non-zero region is a specific number (¶ 63 – 65, 76, and 77).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was effectively filed to modify the invention of Zhao in view of . The advantage is improved transform coding.
As per claim 9, Zhao discloses the method of claim 8, wherein the prefix information of the horizontal position and the prefix information of the vertical position for the last non-zero transform coefficient are inversely binarized based on a truncated unary code (¶ 110; The vertical or horizontal component of the coordination is represented by its prefix and suffix, wherein prefix is binarized with truncated rice (TR) and suffix is binarized with fixed length.).
As per claim 10, Zhao discloses the method of claim 8, wherein the suffix information of the horizontal position and the suffix information of the vertical position for the last non-zero transform coefficient are inversely binarized based on a fixed length code (¶ 110; The vertical or horizontal component of the coordination is represented by its prefix and suffix, wherein prefix is binarized with truncated rice (TR) and suffix is binarized with fixed length.).
Regarding claim 12, arguments analogous to those presented for claim 8 are applicable for claim 12.
Regarding claim 13, arguments analogous to those presented for claim 9 are applicable for claim 13.
Regarding claim 14, arguments analogous to those presented for claim 10 are applicable for claim 14.
Regarding claim 16, arguments analogous to those presented for claim 8 are applicable for claim 16.
Regarding claim 17, arguments analogous to those presented for claim 9 are applicable for claim 17.
Regarding claim 18, arguments analogous to those presented for claim 10 are applicable for claim 18.
Regarding claim 20, arguments analogous to those presented for claim 8 are applicable for claim 20.
Regarding claim 21, arguments analogous to those presented for claim 9 are applicable for claim 21.
Regarding claim 22, arguments analogous to those presented for claim 10 are applicable for claim 22.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHIKAODILI E ANYIKIRE whose telephone number is (571)270-1445. The examiner can normally be reached 8 am - 4:30 pm.
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/CHIKAODILI E ANYIKIRE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2487
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