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 .
DETAILED ACTION
This office action is in response to an amendment filed on 12/11/2025.
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.
Claims 1, 3-14, and 17-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhao (US 2022/0078423) in view of Krishnan (“CONFIG_IST: Intra Secondary Transform”; dated 06/21/2021).
As to claim 1, Zhao teaches a method for decoding a current block of a current frame in a coded video bitstream, the method comprising: receiving, by a device comprising a memory storing instructions and a processor in communication with the memory, the coded video bitstream ([0017], [0026], [0074]-[0080], [0212], [0229], [0235], and [0242]-[0249]);
extracting, by the device based on the coded video bitstream, a set of transform coefficients for the current block; regardless of any intra prediction mode for the current block, determining, by the device, based on a syntax explicitly signaled in the coded video bitstream, a secondary transform set index for the current block, the secondary transform set index indicating a secondary transform set among a plurality of secondary transform sets; selecting, by the device, the secondary transform set based on the secondary transform set index ([0017], [0070], [0074]-[0080], [0144]-[0159], [0177]-[0178], [0182]-[0184], and [0215]-[0219]; particularly look at [0151]-[0153] for LFNST transform selection via an explicitly signaled LFNST index; further look at [0153] where it is stated that “since LFNST may be restricted to be applicable only if all coefficients outside the first coefficient sub-group are non-significant, LFNST index coding may depend on the position of the last significant coefficient. In addition, the LFNST index may be context coded but may not depend on intra prediction mode, and only the first bin may be context coded. Furthermore, LFNST may be applied for intra CU in both intra and inter slices, and for both luma and chroma. If a dual tree is enabled, LFNST indices for Luma and Chroma may be signaled separately. For inter slice (the dual tree is disabled), a single LFNST index may be signaled and used for both luma and chroma”);
performing, by the device, an inverse secondary transform using the set of transform coefficients and the identified secondary transform set towards obtaining a residual block for the current block; and reconstructing, by the device, the current block based on the residual block ([0017], [0070], [0074]-[0080], [0144]-[0159], [0177]-[0178], [0182]-[0184], and [0215]-[0219]).
Zhao does not teach wherein a number of the plurality of secondary transform sets is 14.
However, Krishnan teaches wherein the intra secondary transform (IST) kernel set size is 14 (see Pages 5-6 showing the Patchset 4 version of the syntax code of enums.h).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify Zhao’s disclosure with Krishnan’s disclosure to show wherein a number of the plurality of secondary transform sets is 14 in order to provide improved and more flexible video coding techniques.
As to claim 14, Zhao teaches an apparatus for encoding a current block of a current frame, the apparatus comprising: a memory storing instructions; and a processor in communication with the memory, wherein, when the processor executes the instructions, the processor is configured to cause the apparatus to ([0017], [0026], [0074]-[0080], [0212], [0229], [0235], and [0242]-[0249]):
obtain video data; regardless of any intra prediction mode for the current block, determine, based on the video data, a secondary transform set index for the current block, the secondary transform set index indicating a secondary transform set among a plurality of secondary transform sets; encode the secondary transform set index for the current block as a syntax element into a coded video bitstream ([0017], [0070], [0074]-[0080], [0144]-[0159], [0177]-[0178], [0182]-[0184], and [0215]-[0219]; particularly look at [0151]-[0153] for LFNST transform selection via an explicitly signaled LFNST index; further look at [0153] where it is stated that “since LFNST may be restricted to be applicable only if all coefficients outside the first coefficient sub-group are non-significant, LFNST index coding may depend on the position of the last significant coefficient. In addition, the LFNST index may be context coded but may not depend on intra prediction mode, and only the first bin may be context coded. Furthermore, LFNST may be applied for intra CU in both intra and inter slices, and for both luma and chroma. If a dual tree is enabled, LFNST indices for Luma and Chroma may be signaled separately. For inter slice (the dual tree is disabled), a single LFNST index may be signaled and used for both luma and chroma”);
perform a secondary transform based on the identified secondary transform set and a residual block for the current block to obtain a set of transform coefficients for the current block; and encode the set of transform coefficients for the current block into the coded video bitstream ([0017], [0070], [0074]-[0080], [0144]-[0159], [0177]-[0178], [0182]-[0184], and [0215]-[0219]).
Zhao does not teach wherein a number of the plurality of secondary transform sets is 14.
However, Krishnan teaches wherein the intra secondary transform (IST) kernel set size is 14 (see Pages 5-6 showing the Patchset 4 version of the syntax code of enums.h).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify Zhao’s disclosure with Krishnan’s disclosure to show wherein a number of the plurality of secondary transform sets is 14 in order to provide improved and more flexible video coding techniques.
As to claim 20, the aforementioned claim is rejected similarly as claim 14.
As to claim 3, Zhao further teaches wherein the determining the secondary transform set index for the current block comprises: extracting the secondary transform set index corresponding to the plurality of secondary transform sets ([0182]-[0184] and [0215]-[0219]).
As to claim 4, Zhao further teaches wherein the determining the secondary transform set index for the current block comprises: entropy-decoding the coded video bitstream to obtain the secondary transform set index based on a context depending on coded information ([0084]-[0085], [0108], and [0144]-[0159]).
As to claim 5, Zhao further teaches wherein the coded information comprises at least one of the following: an intra prediction mode, an inter prediction mode, a transform split mode or depth, transform coefficient values, a last nonzero position or an end of block (EOB), a number of nonzero transform coefficients, or a quantization parameter ([0088], [0144]-[0159], and [0177]-[0178]).
As to claim 6, Zhao further teaches wherein the determining the secondary transform set index for the current block comprises: in response to a condition being satisfied, entropy-decoding the coded video bitstream to obtain the secondary transform set index, wherein the condition depends on coded information ([0084]-[0085], [0108], and [0144]-[0159]).
As to claim 7, Zhao further teaches wherein the coded information comprises at least one of the following: an intra prediction mode, an inter prediction mode, a transform split mode or depth, transform coefficient values, a last nonzero position or an end of block (EOB), a number of nonzero transform coefficients, or a quantization parameter ([0088], [0144]-[0159], and [0177]-[0178]).
As to claims 8 and 19, Zhao further teaches wherein: a first plurality of secondary transform sets for a first block overlaps with a second plurality of secondary transform sets for a second block, wherein the first block and the second block have at least one of the following: different intra prediction modes, different transform split modes or depths, different transform coefficient values, different last nonzero positions or EOBs, or different numbers of nonzero transform coefficients ([0144]-[0159]).
As to claim 9, Zhao further teaches wherein: the plurality of secondary transform sets comprises at least one of the following: all separable transform sets, all non-separable transform sets, or a list of separable transform sets and non-separable transform sets ([0144]-[0159] and [0218]).
As to claim 10, Zhao further teaches wherein: the plurality of secondary transform sets comprises at least one of the following: all secondary transform sets, all primary transform sets, or a combination of secondary transform sets and primary transform sets ([0144]-[0159] and [0218]).
As to claim 11, Zhao further teaches wherein: the plurality of secondary transform sets comprises all primary transform sets; in response to the secondary transform set index belonging to a first subset, a secondary transform is implicitly enabled; or in response to the secondary transform set index belonging to a second subset, a secondary transform is implicitly disabled ([0142], [0149], [0199], and [0216]-[0218]).
As to claim 12, Zhao further teaches identifying a secondary transform kernel in the identified secondary transform set, wherein secondary transform kernels in the identified secondary transform set are reordered based on coded information ([0070], [0144]-[0159], and [0218]-[0219]).
As to claim 13, Zhao further teaches wherein the identifying the secondary transform set according to the secondary transform set index comprises: identifying the secondary transform set according to the secondary transform set index, wherein the secondary transform sets are reordered based on coded information ([0070], [0144]-[0159], and [0218]-[0219]).
As to claim 17, Zhao further teaches wherein, when the processor is configured to cause the apparatus to encode the secondary transform set index for the current block as the syntax element into the coded video bitstream, the processor is configured to cause the apparatus to: entropy-encode the secondary transform index based on a context depending on coded information as the syntax element into the coded video bitstream ([0084]-[0085], [0108], and [0144]-[0159]).
As to claim 18, Zhao further teaches wherein, when the processor is configured to cause the apparatus to encode the secondary transform set index for the current block as the syntax element into the coded video bitstream, the processor is configured to cause the apparatus to: in response to a condition being satisfied, entropy-encode the secondary transform index as the syntax element into the coded video bitstream, wherein the condition depends on coded information ([0084]-[0085], [0108], and [0144]-[0159]).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 12/11/2025 have been fully considered but are moot in light of the new grounds of rejection presented above.
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 ZHIHAN ZHOU whose telephone number is (571)270-7284. The examiner can normally be reached Mondays-Fridays 8:30am-5pm.
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/ZHIHAN ZHOU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2482