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 .
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.
DETAILED ACTION
Response to Arguments
Applicant argues that Oh does not disclose patch information because applicant’s patch is “when a plurality of patches classified in a three-dimensional space is mapped onto a two-dimensional space.” Applicant then argues that Oh does not disclose “an occupancy image.” Applicant further argues that Oh does not reconstruct a mesh. Finally, applicant argues that Oh does not separate into five bitstreams.
The examiner is unable to import that definition of a patch into applicant’s claims. Applicant, however, is free to amend the claims to include the argued definition of the disputed terms. As claimed, Oh discloses various bitstreams as claimed under BRI. Further, as applicant concedes in the response, Oh uses trisoup geometry en/decoding. As described by Oh, “[t]he trisoup geometry encoding is geometry encoding that represents an object as a series of triangular meshes.” Oh ¶142. Thus, there is information with respect to the connections and vertices of a mesh. Lastly, a bitstream is defined as a continuous sequence of transmitted data. Merriam Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bitstream. As Oh discloses each decoding using the received data, that is decoding the bitstreams. If applicant desires a different interpretation of the claims, applicant is free to amend the claims to incorporate applicant’s definition into the claims and the examiner will utilize the incorporated definitions. Otherwise the examiner is unable to import applicant’s descriptions from the specification into the claims.
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.
(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.
Claims 1-18 are rejected under 35 USC 102 as being anticipated by US 2024/0386615, Oh, (hereafter Oh)
1. A method performed by a point cloud-and-mesh decoding device for decoding a point cloud and a mesh, the method comprising:
separating a bitstream into a first bitstream, a second bitstream, a third bitstream, a fourth bitstream, and a fifth bitstream; (See Oh figure 12 for splitting input data into different data streams for processing)
reconstructing patch information by decoding the first bitstream; (Oh ¶97 reconstructs portions of a video by decoding Ply files)
reconstructing a geometric image by decoding the second bitstream; (Oh, ¶97 geometric reconstitution)
reconstructing an occupancy image by decoding the third bitstream; (Oh ¶540 occupancy map)
reconstructing an attribute image or a mesh texture map by decoding the fourth bitstream; and (Oh, ¶97 texture)
reconstructing geometry information of the mesh by decoding the fifth bitstream; (Oh ¶97 geometry information; see also ¶142, mesh)
wherein the geometry information of the mesh contains vertices of the mesh, connectivity of the mesh, and vertices of the mesh texture map. (A mesh has vertices and connects to other points in the mesh, and the texture map provides information about the colors, etc. of the points)
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: generating a reconstructed mesh by combining the geometry information of the mesh with the mesh texture map. (Oh ¶101 reconstruct the image)
3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: generating a reconstructed point cloud by combining the patch information, the geometric image, the occupancy image, and the attribute image. (Oh ¶101 reconstruct the image using all the information from claim 1)
4. The method of claim 1, wherein separating the bitstream comprises: decoding a symbol that represents a type of each bitstream and included in a leading portion of each bitstream, and separating each bitstream according to the symbol. (Oh ¶211 header information)
5. The method of claim 1, wherein reconstructing the geometric image, reconstructing the occupancy image, and reconstructing the attribute image or the mesh texture map comprises utilizing a video decoding technology. (Oh ¶84 video)
6. The method of claim 1, wherein reconstructing the attribute image or the mesh texture map comprises: decoding indicative information indicating whether an image to be reconstructed is the attribute image in the point cloud or the mesh texture map, and decoding the fourth bitstream according to the indicative information. (Oh ¶142, mesh; ¶211 header information)
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the patch information is used when a plurality of patches classified in a three-dimensional space is mapped onto a projective plane that is two-dimensional. (Oh ¶267 slices of the point cloud; see also ¶148 projections)
8. The method of claim 7, wherein the geometric image comprises an image obtained by two-dimensionally mapping distances between point locations in the three-dimensional space and the projective plane by using the patch information. (Oh ¶148 projections)
9. The method of claim 7, wherein the occupancy image comprises an image indicative of locations where the plurality of patches are projected as an image on the projective plane that is two-dimensional. (Oh ¶153 occupancy based on the projection described in ¶148-152)
10. The method of claim 7, wherein the attribute image comprises a two-dimensional image generated by projecting attribute values of points in the three-dimensional space onto the projective plane. (Oh ¶163 attribute information of the 2d image)
11. The method of claim 1, wherein reconstructing the attribute image or the mesh texture map comprises: performing an inter prediction with reference to the mesh texture map to reconstruct the attribute image. (Oh ¶142 reconstructs the mesh map to create an image)
12. The method of claim 1, wherein reconstructing the attribute image or the mesh texture map comprises: performing an inter prediction with reference to the attribute image of the point cloud to reconstruct the mesh texture map. (Oh ¶142 reconstructs the point cloud to create an image)
Claims 13-18 are corresponding encoding claims to the decoding of claims 1-12 and are rejected similarly. See Oh ¶82-84 describing the encoder. It is noted that the decoding process is simply the reverse of the encoding process (see Oh ¶88).
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 Ming Shui whose telephone number is (303)297-4247. The examiner can normally be reached on 7-5 Pacific Time, M-Th.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Greg Morse can be reached on 571-272-38383838. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Ming Shui/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2663
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