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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of claims 1, 3-8, 12, 14-20 in the reply filed on 05/20/2026 is acknowledged.
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, 3, 5, 7, 12, 14, 16, 18-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as anticipated by or, in the alternative, under 35 U.S.C. 103 as obvious over Oh (US2021/0209807).
To claim 1, Oh teach a method for point cloud coding, comprising:
performing a conversion between a current (obvious) point cloud sample of a point cloud sequence and a bitstream of the point cloud sequence (Fig. 1, paragraph 0295), wherein during the conversion at least one of the following data units comprises an integer number of bytes:
a first data unit indicating an end of a point cloud frame associated with the current point cloud sample, a second data unit comprising attribute values for a single attribute in the current point cloud sample, or a third data unit specifying a single attribute value for all points in the current point cloud sample (Figs. 26-27, 31, 40, paragraphs 0500-0564, 0651).
To claim 12, Oh teach an apparatus for processing point cloud data comprising a processor and a non-transitory memory with instructions thereon, wherein the instructions upon execution by the processor, causes the processor to perform acts (as explained in response to claim 1 above).
To claim 19, Oh teach a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that cause a processor to perform acts (as explained in response to claim 1 above).
To claim 20, Oh teach a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a bitstream of a point cloud sequence which is generated by a method performed by a point cloud processing apparatus (as explained in response to claim 1 above).
To claims 3 and 14, Oh teach claims 1 and 12.
Oh teach wherein a first syntax structure for the first data unit specifies that the first data unit (paragraph 0518) comprises the integer number of bytes, the first syntax structure ends at a byte-aligned bit position, and the byte-aligned bit position is an integer multiple of 8 bits away from the first position in the bitstream (paragraphs 0651, 0988, one byte is inherently 8 bits).
To claims 5 and 16, Oh teach claims 1 and 12.
Oh teach wherein a third syntax structure for the third data unit specifies that the third data unit comprises the integer number of bytes, the third syntax structure ends at a byte-aligned bit position, and the byte-aligned bit position is an integer multiple of 8 bits away from the first position in the bitstream (paragraphs 0651, 0988, one byte is inherently 8 bits, wherein numbering of syntax structure would have been obvious as bitstream being transmitted in series).
To claims 7 and 18, Oh teach claims 1 and 12.
Oh teach wherein a second syntax structure for the second data unit specifies that the second data unit comprises the integer number of bytes, the second syntax structure ends at a byte-aligned bit position, and the byte-aligned bit position is an integer multiple of 8 bits away from the first position in the bitstream (paragraphs 0651, 0988, one byte is inherently 8 bits, wherein numbering of syntax structure would have been obvious as bitstream being transmitted in series).
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) 4, 6, 8, 15, 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as obvious over Oh (US2021/0209807).
To claims 4 and 15, Oh teach claims 3 and 4.
Oh teach wherein the first syntax structure comprises a fourth syntax structure for byte-alignment (paragraph 0649), and the fourth syntax structure is located at the end of the first syntax structure (paragraphs 0621, 1178-01179, numbering of syntax structures would be obvious as either directly or indirectly one after another).
To claims 6 and 17, Oh teach claims 5 and 16.
Oh teach wherein the third syntax structure comprises a fourth syntax structure for byte-alignment, and the fourth syntax structure is at the end of the third syntax structure (as explained in response to claim 4 above).
To claim 8, Oh teach claim 7.
Oh teach wherein the second syntax structure comprises a fourth syntax structure for byte-alignment, and the fourth syntax structure is at the end of the second syntax structure (paragraphs 0621, 1178-01179, numbering of syntax structures would be obvious as either directly or indirectly one after another)
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ZHIYU LU whose telephone number is (571)272-2837. The examiner can normally be reached Weekdays: 8:30AM - 5:00PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Stephen R Koziol can be reached at (408) 918-7630. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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ZHIYU . LU
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2669
/ZHIYU LU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2665 June 4, 2026
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