DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
2. 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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, 3-4, and 7-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Bordes et al. (WO 2021/089455 A1).
Regarding claim 1: Bordes et al. discloses an image decoding device comprising a circuit that controls decoding of syntax for controlling a boundary width of a division mode of a sequence to be decoded (page 39 line 4 to page 41 line 31).
Regarding claim 3: The image decoding device according to claim 1, wherein the circuit is capable of changing a pattern or the number of the boundary widths in a header for each unit of decoding (page 28 lines 15-34 and page 39 line 4 to page 41 line 31).
Regarding claim 4: The image decoding device according to claim 1, wherein the circuit omits decoding of a pattern of the boundary width when the pattern of the boundary width is set in advance (page 39 line 4 to page 41 line 31).
Regarding claim 7: The image decoding device according to claim 1, wherein the circuit changes a value of syntax for controlling a pattern of the boundary width according to another syntax (page 39 line 4 to page 41 line 31).
Regarding claim 8: The image decoding device according to claim 7, wherein the circuit uses at least one of a block size, a motion vector, an encoding mode, a division shape, and a quantization parameter as syntax for changing the value of the syntax for controlling the pattern of the boundary width (page 39 line 4 to page 41 line 31).
Regarding claim 9: See claim 1.
Regarding claim 10: See claim 1.
Allowable Subject Matter
3. Claims 2, 5, and 6 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.
Contact Information
4. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANAND BHATNAGAR whose telephone number is (571)272-7416. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 7:30am-4:00pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Vu Le can be reached on 571-272-4650. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ANAND P BHATNAGAR/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2668
January 9, 2026