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 .
Application Status
This office action is responsive to the amendments filed on 06/05/2026.
The 35 USC 112 rejection is withdrawn in view of the Applicant’s amendments.
This action has been made FINAL.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 06/05/2026 is being considered by the examiner. A signed IDS is hereby attached.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 06/05/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant alleges the following: “Specifically, Hemmer at a minimum does not disclose "encoding an initial mesh into an intermediate symbol stream," "determining that a subsequent mesh of increased quality relative to the initial mesh has vertices which are a superset of the vertices of a preceding mesh adjacent the subsequent mesh in a sequence of meshes in which each mesh is of increased quality relative to the previous mesh," and "encoding operators for the subsequent mesh in sequence into the intermediate symbol stream following the preceding mesh." The examiner is not persuaded. The examiner asserts Hemmer teaches the Applicant’s claim language of "encoding an initial mesh into an intermediate symbol stream" in Paragraphs 0028-0029; 0031; 0069; 0084-0087; 0108-0109; 0118. Hemmer goes on to teach the Applicant’s claim language of “determining that a subsequent mesh of increased quality relative to the initial mesh has vertices which are a superset of the vertices of a preceding mesh adjacent the subsequent mesh in a sequence of meshes in which each mesh is of increased quality relative to the previous mesh" in Hemmer Paragraphs 0041; 0140. Additionally, Hemmer teaches the Applicant’s claim language of "encoding operators for the subsequent mesh in sequence into the intermediate symbol stream following the preceding mesh" in Paragraphs 0028-0029; 0031; 0069; 0084-0087. Accordingly, the examiner maintains the rejection.
Applicant alleges the following: “Hemmer does not disclose encoding an initial mesh into an intermediate symbol stream followed by a sequence of meshes in which each mesh is of increased quality relative to the previous mesh.” The examiner is not persuaded. Hemmer’s teachings of the Applicant’s claim language of “encoding the initial mesh” is disclosed in Paragraphs 0028-0029; 0031; 0069; 0084-0087. Hemmer goes on to disclose the Applicant’s claim language of “into an intermediate symbol stream” in Paragraph 0108-0109; 0118. Additionally, Hemmer discloses the Applicant’s claim language of “in a sequence of meshes in which each mesh is of increased quality relative to the previous mesh” in Hemmer Paragraphs 0041; 0140. Accordingly, the examiner maintains the rejection.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-16 and 24-39 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hemmer, US 20230386091.
Claim 1:
Hemmer discloses a computer-implemented method of performing progressive mesh compression of computer-generated three-dimensional models (See Hemmer Figure 3; Title; Abstract; Technical Field; Summary of Invention; Paragraph 0004), the method comprising:
obtaining an initial mesh (See Hemmer Paragraph 0035; 00391; 0076) for a three-dimensional model (See Hemmer Paragraph 00352; 0039; 0076);
encoding the initial mesh (See Hemmer Paragraphs 0028-0029; 0031; 0069; 0084-0087) into an intermediate symbol stream (See Hemmer Paragraphs 0108-0109; 0118);
determining that a subsequent mesh of increased quality relative to the initial mesh has vertices which are a superset of the vertices (See Hemmer Paragraphs 0039-00413) of a preceding mesh adjacent the subsequent mesh (See Hemmer Paragraph 0041) in a sequence of meshes in which each mesh is of increased quality (See Hemmer Paragraph 0140) relative to the previous mesh (See Hemmer Paragraph 0041), wherein the vertices of the subsequent mesh are a superset of the vertices of the preceding mesh if the vertices of the preceding mesh are a subset of the vertices in the subsequent mesh (See Hemmer Paragraph 0041), and wherein determining that the subsequent mesh has vertices which are a superset of the vertices of the preceding mesh (See Hemmer Paragraph 0041) comprises evaluating the vertices in the subsequent mesh relative to the vertices of the preceding mesh (See Hemmer Paragraph 0041);
responsive to determining that the subsequent mesh is a superset of the preceding mesh (See Hemmer Paragraph 00414), determining operators that produce a progressive mesh (See Hemmer Figure 3; Paragraphs 0076; 0085-0087; 0097-01005) for rendering the subsequent mesh when applied to triangles, edges, or vertices of the preceding mesh (See Hemmer Figure 3; Paragraphs 0076; 0085-0087; 0097-01006),
and encoding the operators for the subsequent mesh in sequence (See Hemmer Paragraphs 00047; 0076; 0085-0087; 0097-0100) into the intermediate symbol stream following the preceding mesh (See Hemmer Paragraphs 0108-0109; 0118).
Claim 2:
Hemmer discloses wherein the triangles of the subsequent mesh are traversed in an order derived from the subsequent mesh (See Hemmer Paragraphs 0041; 01538).
Claim 3:
Hemmer discloses wherein the initial mesh is compressed using an existing compression method (See Hemmer Paragraphs 0145; 0153; 0159; 0164), and wherein the triangles of the subsequent mesh are traversed in an order (See Hemmer Paragraphs 0041; 01539) based on the existing compression method (See Hemmer Paragraphs 0145; 0153; 0159; 0164).
Claim 4:
Hemmer discloses wherein at least one of the operators (See Hemmer Paragraphs 000410; 0076; 0085-0087; 0097-0100) includes adding quantization bits for a vertex of a triangle of the subsequent mesh (See Hemmer Paragraph 0152).
Claim 5:
Hemmer discloses wherein at least one of the operators (See Hemmer Paragraphs 000411; 0076; 0085-0087; 0097-0100) includes adding a vertex or moving a vertex (See Hemmer Paragraph 011212).
Claim 6:
Hemmer discloses encoding coordinates of an added or moved vertex (See Hemmer Paragraph 011213) as a difference between the coordinates of the added or moved vertex and predicted coordinates calculated using a prediction function (See Hemmer Paragraph 011214).
Claim 7:
Hemmer discloses wherein an (X,Y) coordinate pair of the predicted coordinates is calculated based on a normal map using a previous mesh (See Hemmer Paragraph 011215-011316; 0143).
Claim 8:
Hemmer discloses wherein the (X,Y) coordinate pair of the predicted coordinates is identified based on a local maximum of the normal map (See Hemmer Paragraph 0112-0113; 0143).
Claim 9:
Hemmer discloses wherein an (X,Y) coordinate pair of the predicted coordinates is calculated based on a center of a triangle of the subsequent mesh (See Hemmer Paragraph 011217-0113; 0143).
Claim 10:
Hemmer discloses wherein at least one of the operators includes adding multiple vertices (See Hemmer Figure 3; Paragraphs 0076; 0085-0087; 0097-010018), wherein the method further comprises encoding coordinates (See Hemmer Paragraphs 0118-0123) of each added vertex (See Hemmer Paragraph 011219) as a difference between the coordinates of the added vertex and predicted coordinates (See Hemmer Paragraph 0112-011320), wherein the predicted coordinates are determined by splitting a triangle (See Hemmer Paragraphs 0107-0109) into two or more sub-triangles and using (X,Y) coordinates for centers of each of the two or more sub-triangles (See Hemmer Paragraphs 0107-0109) as the predicted coordinates (See Hemmer Paragraph 0112-011321).
Claim 11:
Hemmer discloses wherein a Z-coordinate of the predicted coordinates is calculated based on a three-dimensional spline over existing vertices of the subsequent mesh (See Hemmer Paragraph 0112-011322).
Claim 12:
Hemmer discloses wherein a Z-coordinate of the predicted coordinates is calculated using Bezier triangles and/or N-patches (See Hemmer Paragraphs 0032; 0052; 0082).
Claim 13:
Hemmer discloses wherein a Z-coordinate of the predicted coordinates is calculated based on a normal map (See Hemmer Paragraph 0112-011323).
Claim 14:
Hemmer discloses encoding the operators for the subsequent mesh using at least one entropy encoding method (See Hemmer Paragraphs 0118-0123).
Claim 15:
Hemmer discloses wherein the at least one entropy encoding method (See Hemmer Paragraphs 0118-0123) comprises Huffman encoding, arithmetic coding, or one of the asymmetric numeral systems (ANS) family of entropy encoding methods (See Hemmer Paragraphs 0118-0123 Note: Hemmer’s teachings in Paragraphs 0118-0123 is equivalent to the Applicant’s recitation of “arithmetic coding”).
Claim 16:
Hemmer discloses determining that a second subsequent mesh is not a superset of a mesh preceding the second subsequent mesh (See Hemmer Paragraph 004124); and responsive to determining that the second subsequent mesh is not a superset of the mesh preceding the second subsequent mesh (See Hemmer Paragraph 004125), encoding the second subsequent mesh (See Hemmer Paragraphs 0118-0123) using a non-incremental mesh compression method (See Hemmer Paragraphs 0145; 0153; 0159; 0164).
Claims 24-39:
Claims 24-39 are rejected on the same basis as claims 1-16.
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) 17 and 40 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hemmer, US 20230386091 in view of CHEN, 20230298271.
Claim 17:
Hemmer failed to explicitly disclose an Edgebreaker compression method. However, CHEN discloses this feature in paragraph 0050. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have further modified Hemmer by the teachings of CHEN to enable improved compressions methods such as Edgebreaker compression to generate an integrated mesh model, more effectively (See CHEN Abstract).
As modified:
The combination of Hemmer and CHEN discloses wherein the non-incremental mesh compression method comprises an Edgebreaker compression method (See CHEN Paragraph 0050).
Claim 40:
Claim 40 is rejected on the same basis as claim 17.
Pertinent Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US 20200265552 discloses a cost-driven framework for progressive compression of textured meshes within the electronic environment.
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.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SHEREE N BROWN whose telephone number is (571)272-4229. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 5:30-2:00 PM EST.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, SAID BROOME can be reached at (571) 272-2931. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/SHEREE N BROWN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2612 July 10, 2026
1 Paragraph 0039 of Hemmer recites “The first mesh data 132 represents the triangular mesh that defines the geometry of the approximation to the surface. The mesh includes vertices, edges connecting the vertices, and triangular faces defined by the edges. As shown in FIG. 1, the first mesh data 134 includes vertex position data 135, connectivity data 136, and edge data 137.”
2 Paragraph 0035 of Hemmer recites “compress data associated with a triangular mesh representing a three-dimensional object.”
3 Paragraph 0039 of Hemmer recites “The mesh includes vertices, edges connecting the vertices, and triangular faces defined by the edges.”
4 Paragraph 0041 of Hemmer recites “adjacency of the mesh.”
5 Paragraph 0098 of Hemmer recites “mesh decimation operations are performed using batches of independent edge collapse operators sorted in a priority queue.”
6 Paragraph 0098 of Hemmer recites “mesh decimation operations are performed using batches of independent edge collapse operators sorted in a priority queue.”
7 Paragraph 0004 of Hemmer recites “encoding operations on the respective mesh LODs of a sequence of LODs of the plurality to produce a sequence of single-rate encoded mesh LODs, the single-rate encoded mesh LODs, when combined with an encoding of corresponding texture image LODs, forming an efficient compression of the data.”
8 Paragraph 0153 of Hemmer recites “The triplets are arranged in an order for traversal of the mesh. Such triplets then provide an ordering of the triangular faces for traversal and an orientation of each triangular face.”
9 Paragraph 0153 of Hemmer recites “The triplets are arranged in an order for traversal of the mesh. Such triplets then provide an ordering of the triangular faces for traversal and an orientation of each triangular face.”
10 Paragraph 0004 of Hemmer recites “encoding operations on the respective mesh LODs of a sequence of LODs of the plurality to produce a sequence of single-rate encoded mesh LODs, the single-rate encoded mesh LODs, when combined with an encoding of corresponding texture image LODs, forming an efficient compression of the data.”
11 Paragraph 0004 of Hemmer recites “encoding operations on the respective mesh LODs of a sequence of LODs of the plurality to produce a sequence of single-rate encoded mesh LODs, the single-rate encoded mesh LODs, when combined with an encoding of corresponding texture image LODs, forming an efficient compression of the data.”
12 Paragraph 0112 of Hemmer recites “… relocating each vertex to the center of a smaller cell in a denser lattice. Predicting the new locations may be accomplished by generating a distance to a centroid of neighboring vertices of a cell of a parent lattice”
13 Paragraph 0112 of Hemmer recites “… relocating each vertex to the center of a smaller cell in a denser lattice. Predicting the new locations may be accomplished by generating a distance to a centroid of neighboring vertices of a cell of a parent lattice”
14 Paragraph 0112 of Hemmer recites “… relocating each vertex to the center of a smaller cell in a denser lattice. Predicting the new locations may be accomplished by generating a distance to a centroid of neighboring vertices of a cell of a parent lattice”
15 Paragraph 0112 of Hemmer recites “… relocating each vertex to the center of a smaller cell in a denser lattice. Predicting the new locations may be accomplished by generating a distance to a centroid of neighboring vertices of a cell of a parent lattice”
16 Paragraph 0113 of Hemmer discloses “The UV texture atlas coordinates may be predicted similarly to a parallelogram prediction, which uses the XYZ and UV coordinates of the triangle vertices to predict new texture coordinates.”
17 Paragraph 0112 of Hemmer recites “… relocating each vertex to the center of a smaller cell in a denser lattice. Predicting the new locations may be accomplished by generating a distance to a centroid of neighboring vertices of a cell of a parent lattice”
18 Paragraph 0098 of Hemmer recites “mesh decimation operations are performed using batches of independent edge collapse operators sorted in a priority queue.”
19 Paragraph 0112 of Hemmer recites “… relocating each vertex to the center of a smaller cell in a denser lattice. Predicting the new locations may be accomplished by generating a distance to a centroid of neighboring vertices of a cell of a parent lattice”
20 Paragraph 0113 of Hemmer discloses “The UV texture atlas coordinates may be predicted similarly to a parallelogram prediction, which uses the XYZ and UV coordinates of the triangle vertices to predict new texture coordinates.”
21 Paragraph 0113 of Hemmer discloses “The UV texture atlas coordinates may be predicted similarly to a parallelogram prediction, which uses the XYZ and UV coordinates of the triangle vertices to predict new texture coordinates.”
22 Paragraph 0113 of Hemmer discloses “The UV texture atlas coordinates may be predicted similarly to a parallelogram prediction, which uses the XYZ and UV coordinates of the triangle vertices to predict new texture coordinates.”
23 Paragraph 0113 of Hemmer discloses “The UV texture atlas coordinates may be predicted similarly to a parallelogram prediction, which uses the XYZ and UV coordinates of the triangle vertices to predict new texture coordinates.”
24 Paragraph 0041 of Hemmer recites “adjacency of the mesh.”
25 Paragraph 0041 of Hemmer recites “adjacency of the mesh.”
Prosecution Insights