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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 3/16/2026 has been entered.
Claim Interpretation
Claim 20 relates to a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a bitstream a generated by a particular encoding method. Since the claims relate to a bitstream which is stored on a computer readable medium after all coding functions have been performed the bitstream no longer has any functional relationship with a processor or other machine, but instead relates to e.g. a video stored on a hard drive. The purpose of the stored bitstream is only to convey meaning to a human viewer of the coded bitstream and is thus non-functional descriptive material. Non-functional descriptive material used only to convey messages or meaning is given little patentable weight (See MPEP 2111.05). For the purposes of examination the examiner will interpret the claim as relating only to a computer readable medium storing data.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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) 20 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Zheng et al (2013/0114717).
In regard to claim 20 Zheng discloses a computer readable medium storing a bitstream (Zheng Fig. 1 and pars 35-36 note channel 16 carrying encoded video data may include non-transitory computer readable media such as a DVD).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1, 3-5, 7 and 15-19 allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Independent claims 1, 18 and 19 relate to converting a current block between a bitstream and a video where the block is coded with a geometric partitioning mode, the geometric partitioning mode being a prediction mode wherein the prediction candidates are determined using a pairwise average candidate, the pairwise average candidate being generated using a pair of candidates having indices 0 and 1 in a regular merge list, the pairwise candidate being calculated separately for each reference picture list, determining a candidate index that is included in the bitstream and is smaller than a maximum allowed number of candidates, converting the current block using the candidate list and candidate index, the geometric partitioning mode including first and second motion information based on the candidate list and having a weighting process based on a weighted sum of the samples derived from the first and second motion information.
The closest arts are Zhang, Lee and Guo. Zhang discloses a geometric partitioning mode in which a current block is partitioned into non-rectangular prediction units. Zhang further discloses that prediction units may be coded using a merge mode including a merge index into a candidate list that indicates motion information for each PU. However, Zhang discloses that geometric partitioning is independent of prediction mode and does not require that geometric partitioning be based on a regular merge list including a pairwise average candidate. Lee discloses generating additional merge candidates based on an average of pairs of other merge candidates. Guo discloses weighted blending along the boundaries of prediction units predicted using first and second motions. However, neither Lee no Guo remedy the deficiency of Zheng tying the geometric partitioning mode to a specific prediction mode including a pairwise average candidate as required by the independent claims.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JEREMIAH CHARLES HALLENBECK-HUBER whose telephone number is (571)272-5248. The examiner can normally be reached Monday to Friday from 9 A.M. to 5 P.M.
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/JEREMIAH C HALLENBECK-HUBER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2481
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