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 .
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 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.
Claim(s) 1-6, 8-9 and 12-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Huang et al. (US 2020/0374528).
Regarding claim 1, Huang discloses a method of processing video data (see 100 in fig. 1; e.g. see fig. 15), comprising: determining, for a conversion between a current video block of a video and a bitstream of the video (see 100 in fig. 1), that the current video block is coded with a geometric partitioning (e.g. see fig. 10A); deriving at least one refined motion vector (MV) (see MMVD in fig. 11) for the current video block by adding at least one motion vector difference (MVD) of multiple MVDs signaled or derived for the current video block (e.g. see ¶ [0086]) to a MV derived from a merge candidate associated with the current video block (e.g. see ¶ [0086]), the MV being associated with an offset distance and/or an offset direction (e.g. see ¶ [0088]); and performing the conversion based on the refined MV; determining whether a geometric motion vector difference coding method is enabled or disabled (see 74 in fig. 11), wherein the geometric motion vector difference coding method derives the at least one refined MV (see 74 in fig. 11).
Regarding claim 2, Huang further discloses wherein the current video block is a geometric motion vector difference coded block or a merge with motion vector difference coded block (see fig. 10A; see 132 in fig. 2B).
Regarding claim 3, Huang further discloses wherein the geometric partitioning mode includes multiple partition schemes and in at least one partition scheme (e.g. see 132 in fig. 2B), the current video block comprises two or more partitions (e.g. see fig. 10A), wherein at least one of the two or more partitions is non-square and non-rectangular (e.g. see fig. 10A).
Regarding claim 4, Huang further discloses wherein the geometric partitioning mode comprises a triangular partitioning mode or a geometric merge mode (e.g. see fig. 10A).
Regarding claim 5, Huang further discloses wherein a same lookup table is used to derive the offset distance from a distance index for a geometric motion vector difference and a merge with motion vector difference (e.g. see ¶ [0088]).
Regarding claim 6, Huang further discloses wherein a same lookup table is used to derive the offset direction from a direction index for a geometric motion vector difference and a merge with motion vector difference (e.g. see ¶ [0088]).
Regarding claim 8, Huang further discloses wherein for different partitions within the current video block, whether the geometric motion vector difference coding method is enabled or disabled is determined in an explicit way or an implicit way (see 74 in fig. 11).
Regarding claim 9, Huang further discloses wherein a first syntax element is conditionally signaled to indicate whether a geometric motion vector difference coding method is applied to the current video block or whether at least one of the multiple MVDs for a partition of the current video block is a non-zero MVD (see output of 74 in fig. 11).
Regarding claim 12, Huang further discloses wherein an indicator of enabling/disabling the geometric motion vector difference coding method is signaled in a high level including a sequence level and/or a low level including a picture level and a slice level (e.g. see ¶ [0065]).
Regarding claim 13, Huang further discloses wherein the indicator of enabling/disabling the geometric motion vector difference coding method is signaled in at least one of a sequence parameter set (SPS), a picture parameter set (PPS), a picture header or a slice header; wherein the indicator is conditionally signaled according to whether a geometric merge mode is enabled, and/or a slice type or a picture type is a B type, and/or whether a sequence allows at least one B slice/picture (see various flags in fig. 11).
Regarding claim 14, Huang further discloses wherein an indicator of enabling/disabling the geometric motion vector difference coding method is implicitly derived without being signaled (e.g. see ¶ [0086]); wherein the indicator of enabling/disabling the geometric motion vector difference coding method is derived from whether a merge with motion vector difference coding method and/or a geometric merge mode is enabled (e.g. see ¶ [0086]).
Regarding claim 15, Huang further discloses wherein: when the merge with motion vector difference coding method and the geometric merge mode are enabled, the geometric motion vector difference coding method is enabled;
Regarding claim 16, Huang further discloses wherein the conversion includes encoding the current video block into the bitstream (see 200 in fig. 13).
Regarding claim 17, Huang further discloses wherein the conversion includes decoding the current video block from the bitstream (see fig. 14).
Regarding claim 18, Huang further discloses wherein the conversion includes generating the bitstream from the current video block (see 200 in fig. 13); the method further comprises: storing the bitstream in a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium (e.g. see ¶ [0009]).
Regarding claim 19, the claim(s) recite analogous limitations to claim 1, and is/are therefore rejected on the same premise.
Regarding claim 20, the claim(s) recite analogous limitations to claim 1, and is/are therefore rejected on the same premise.
Note: Claim 20 calls for a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a bitstream of a video. The method of obtaining the bitstream carries no weight. Thus, claim 19 can be rejection is many single references disclosing a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a bitstream of a video.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim(s) 10-11 is/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.
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.”
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 1/29/26 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant argued that “Huang fails to disclose the use of a geometric motion vector difference” because “Neither the regular merge mode nor the MMVD merge mode of Huang discloses the claimed geometric motion vector difference”. The Examiner respectfully disagrees. The claim defined the geometric motion vector difference coding method as a method that derives the at least one refined MV. Huang clearly discloses a coding method that derives the at least one refined MV (see MMVD in fig. 11, wherein ¶ [0086] discloses MMVD method includes refined MV). Therefore the Examiner maintains all limitations are met.
Citation of Pertinent Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
1. Chang et al. (US 2021/0314623), discloses geometric partition, merge mode and motion vector difference constraint.
2. Chen et al. (US 2022/0264136), discloses motion vector difference and geometric partition enablement.
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 RICHARD T TORRENTE whose telephone number is (571)270-3702. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 6:45-3:15 pm.
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/RICHARD T TORRENTE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2485