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 based on an application filed in Japan on 12/21/2022. It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the Japanese application as required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 08/28/2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 11/14/2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 09/18/2025 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 12/17/2025 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 12/29/2025 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Interpretation
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(f) Element in Claim for a Combination. – An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
This application includes one or more claim limitations that do not use the word “means,” but are nonetheless being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because the claim limitation(s) uses a generic placeholder that is coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure to perform the recited function and the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier. Such claim limitation(s) is/are: “a prediction unit configured to generate”, “a transformation unit configured to derive”, “a quantization unit configured to derive”, and “a first encoding unit configured to encode” in claims 1 and 15; “a decoding unit configured to decode”, “an inverse quantization unit configured to derive”, “an inverse transformation unit configured to derive”, and “a prediction unit configured to generate a prediction image" in claims 12 and 16.
Because this/these claim limitation(s) is/are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, it/they is/are being interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification as performing the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
If applicant does not intend to have this/these limitation(s) interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, applicant may: (1) amend the claim limitation(s) to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph (e.g., by reciting sufficient structure to perform the claimed function); or (2) present a sufficient showing that the claim limitation(s) recite(s) sufficient structure to perform the claimed function so as to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.
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) 1-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Liao et al. (US 20210289198 A1).
Regarding Claim 1, Liao et al. teaches an image encoding apparatus (Paragraphs 305-308) comprising:
a prediction unit configured to generate a prediction image in which an intra-prediction image obtained by intra-prediction is applied to a partial region in an encoding target block included in an image, and an inter-prediction image obtained by inter-prediction is applied to another region different from the partial region in the block, and derive prediction errors each of which is a difference between the block and the generated prediction image (Paragraph 151; Paragraphs 161-171);
a transformation unit configured to derive transform coefficients by frequency-transforming the prediction errors derived by the prediction unit (Paragraphs 343-351);
a quantization unit configured to derive quantized coefficients by quantizing, using a quantization matrix, the transform coefficients derived by the transformation unit (Paragraphs 352-359); and
a first encoding unit configured to encode the quantized coefficients derived by the quantization unit (Paragraphs 305-308; Paragraph 361).
Regarding Claim 2, Liao et al. teaches the image encoding apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a second encoding unit configured to encode the quantization matrix; and a generation unit configured to generate a bitstream including a result of encoding by the first encoding unit and a result of encoding by the second encoding unit and output the bitstream (Paragraphs 352-359).
Regarding Claim 3, Liao et al. teaches the image encoding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the quantization unit quantizes the transform coefficients using at least one of a quantization matrix for intra-prediction and a quantization matrix for inter-prediction, which are set in advance (Paragraph 280-281; Paragraphs 352-359).
Regarding Claim 4, Liao et al. teaches the image encoding apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the quantization unit quantizes the transform coefficients using a quantization matrix generated based on both the quantization matrix for intra-prediction and the quantization matrix for inter-prediction (Paragraph 280-281; Paragraphs 352-359).
Regarding Claim 5, Liao et al. teaches the image encoding apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the quantization unit performs the quantization using a quantization matrix obtained by combining the quantization matrix for intra-prediction and the quantization matrix for inter-prediction in accordance with a ratio of a size of the partial region and a size of the other region (Paragraph 280-281; Paragraph 320-323; Paragraphs 352-359).
Regarding Claim 6, Liao et al. teaches the image encoding apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the quantization unit quantizes the transform coefficients using not the quantization matrix for inter-prediction but the quantization matrix for intra-prediction (Paragraph 280-281; Paragraph 320-323; Paragraphs 352-359).
Regarding Claim 7, Liao et al. teaches the image encoding apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the quantization unit quantizes the transform coefficients using not the quantization matrix for intra-prediction but the quantization matrix for inter-prediction (Paragraph 280-281; Paragraph 320-323; Paragraphs 352-359).
Regarding Claim 8, Liao et al. teaches the image encoding apparatus according to claim 3, wherein if a size of the partial region in the encoding target block is larger than a size of the other region in the encoding target block, the quantization unit performs the quantization using the quantization matrix for intra-prediction (Paragraph 280-281; Paragraph 320-323; Paragraphs 352-359).
Regarding Claim 9, Liao et al. teaches the image encoding apparatus according to claim 3, wherein if a size of the other region in the encoding target block is larger than a size of the partial region in the encoding target block, the quantization unit performs the quantization using the quantization matrix for inter-prediction (Paragraph 280-281; Paragraph 320-323; Paragraphs 352-359).
Regarding Claim 10, Liao et al. teaches the image encoding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the prediction unit generates the prediction image using prediction pixels located at positions corresponding to the partial region among prediction pixels included in the intra-prediction image generated using intra-prediction for the encoding target block, and prediction pixels located at positions corresponding to the other region among prediction pixels included in the inter-prediction image generated using inter-prediction for the encoding target block (Paragraph 151; Paragraphs 161-171; Paragraph 345; Paragraphs 401-411).
Regarding Claim 11, Liao et al. teaches the image encoding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the partial region is one of two regions generated by dividing the encoding target block by a line segment, and the other region is the other of the two regions (Paragraph 151; Paragraphs 161-171; Paragraph 320-324; Paragraph 749).
Claim 12 is drawn to the decoding apparatus corresponding to the encoding apparatus of claim 1, this claim has substantially similar limitations merely performed in the inverse, and is rejected for the same reasons as used above. Liao et al. further teaches an image decoding apparatus corresponding to the encoding apparatus (Paragraphs 285; Paragraph 583).
Method claims 13 and 14 are drawn to the method of using corresponding apparatus claimed in claims 1 and 12 and are rejected for the same reasons as used above.
Non-transitory computer-readable medium claims 15 and 16 are drawn to similar limitations as those rejected in claims 1, 12, 13 and 14, and are rejected for the same reasons as used above. Liao et al. further teaches a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program configured to cause a computer to function (Paragraph 293; Paragraphs 865-869).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FARHAN MAHMUD whose telephone number is (571)272-7712. The examiner can normally be reached 10-7.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Joseph Ustaris can be reached at 5712727383. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/FARHAN MAHMUD/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2483