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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d). The certified copy of foreign patent application number 202311227530.5, filed in China on September 22, 2023, has been received and made of record.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (lDS) submitted on August 6, 2024, is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97 and is being considered by the Examiner.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
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.
Claims 1, 2, 10, 11 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent Publication No. 2010/0085447 to Kanemitsu et al. (hereinafter “Kanemitsu”) in view of U.S. Patent Publication No. 2015/0029359 to Nenonen.
Regarding claim 1, Kanemitsu teaches a method for image processing comprising obtaining a sensor image (e.g., [0035]), performing a lens shading correction on the sensor image to obtain a first image (e.g., [0038]), and performing an automatic white balance processing on that image to obtain a new image (e.g., [0042]). Kanemitsu, however, has not been found by the Examiner to expressly perform a weighted masking on the first image to obtain a second image, prior to performing the automatic white balancing.
Nevertheless, Nenonen teaches performing a weighted masking on an image to obtain a next image (e.g., [0078], [0095-102]), then performing an automatic white balance processing on that image to obtain another image (e.g., [0106]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective date of the claimed invention to have incorporated the teachings of Nenonen to the method as taught by Kanemitsu in order to address a change in capture light.
Regarding claim 2, Kanemitsu and Nenonen teach all of the limitations of claim 2 (see the 35 U.S.C. 103 rejection of claim 1, supra) including teaching wherein the sensor image includes a plurality of continuous sensor images (e.g., ‘447 – [0035]), and the lens shading correction, the weighted masking and the automatic white balance processing are performed on each of the sensor images to obtain the first images, the second images and the third images corresponding to respective ones of the sensor images (e.g., ‘447 – [0035-46]).
Regarding claim 10, Kanemitsu teaches an electronic device comprising a sensor module configured to obtain sensor images (e.g., fig. 1, element 2; [0035]) and a processor (e.g., fig. 1, element 4; [0036]) configured to, perform a lens shading correction on the sensor image to obtain a first image (e.g., [0038]), and perform an automatic white balance processing on that image to obtain a new image (e.g., [0042]). Kanemitsu, however, has not been found by the Examiner to expressly perform a weighted masking on the first image to obtain a second image, prior to performing the automatic white balancing.
Nevertheless, Nenonen teaches performing a weighted masking on an image to obtain a next image (e.g., [0078], [0095-102]), then performing an automatic white balance processing on that image to obtain another image (e.g., [0106]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective date of the claimed invention to have incorporated the teachings of Nenonen to the method as taught by Kanemitsu in order to address a change in capture light.
Regarding claim 11, Kanemitsu and Nenonen teach all of the limitations of claim 11 (see the 35 U.S.C. 103 rejection of claim 10, supra) including teaching wherein the sensor image includes a plurality of continuous sensor images (e.g., ‘447 – [0035]), and the processor performs the lens shading correction, the weighted masking and the automatic white balance processing on each of the sensor images to obtain the first images, the second images and the third images corresponding to respective ones of the sensor images (e.g., ‘447 – [0035-46]).
Regarding claim 19, Kanemitsu and Nenonen teach a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions (e.g., ‘359 – [0157]) that, when executed by a processor (e.g., ‘447 – fig. 1, element 4), cause the processor to execute the method of claim 1 (see the 35 U.S.C. 103 rejection of claim 1, supra).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-9 and 12-18 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
U.S. Patent No. 10,855,964 to Cao et al. teaches lens shading correction prior to automatic white balancing.
Contact
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GARY C VIEAUX whose telephone number is (571)272-7318. The examiner can normally be reached Increased Flex.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Lin Ye can be reached at 571-272-7372. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/GARY C VIEAUX/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2638
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