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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 09/09/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Regarding amended claim 1, applicant argued that prior art fails to teach “third data unit” to contain any attribute-related information.
However, examiner respectfully disagrees. Despite applicant’s arguments, argued claim limits “… at least one of the following data units comprises an integer number of bytes: a first data unit…, a second data unit…, or a third data unit…” It requires prior art to satisfy only one of the three data units. Accordingly, when one limitation of optional limitations is taught by prior art, limitation or claim depending on rest of the optional limitations will not be considered for patentable weight. In this case, Oh teach a stop bit to indicate the end of RBSP data (paragraph 0651), wherein in volumetric video compression raw bitstream data carrying the geometry, attribute, and atlas information of the point cloud frame sequence is structured as an RBSP. Since Oh teach “a first data unit,” applicant’s arguments are moot. Limitation or claim depending on “second data unit” or “third data unit” are not considered.
Thus, rejection is proper and maintained.
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, 7, 12, 14, 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, 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 bit away from the first position in the bitstream (Figs. 26-27, 31, 40, paragraphs 0500-0564, 0651, stop bit indicating end of RBSP data).
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 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 1 and 12.
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)
Claim(s) 21-22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as obvious over Oh (US2021/0209807) in view of Sjoberg et al. (US2021/0144384).
To claims 21-22, Oh teach claims 19-20.
But, Oh do not expressly disclose wherein a first syntax structure for the first data unit specifies that the first data unit 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, or 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.
Sjoberg teach encoding bitstream in RBSP data (paragraph 013) wherein a first syntax structure for the first data unit specifies that the first data unit 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 (paragraph 0113, byte-aligned bit position, which inherently means an integer multiple of 8 bits away from the first position of the bitstream because a byte consists of exactly 8 bits), which would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate into the apparatus of Oh, in order to further syntax structure by design preference.
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 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 October 5, 2026
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