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 .
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, 11-12 and 22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN 111632374 A to Shi et al. (“Shi”) in view of CN 110008873 A to Zhang et al. (“Zhang”).
Re claim 1, Shi teaches a face processing method
Refer to paragraphs [0112]-[0305], and figures 1-4 in which Shi discloses a face processing method for a virtual character in a game.
comprising obtaining face driving image data;
Refer to step S201 in Shi which comprises obtaining a face image in a real scene, and obtaining face customization parameters, camera parameters and expression parameters. All of face image and scene data, customization parameters, camera and expression parameters, which are subsequently used to drive face processing in the video game of Shi teach obtaining “face driving” image data.
determining initial character customization parameter information based on the face driving image data;
In step S202, Shi discloses determining bone parameters on the basis
of the face customization parameters;
In step S203, Shi discloses that according to the bone parameters, the expression parameters and the camera parameters, rendering is performed to obtain a face customization image of the virtual character;
In step S204, Shi discloses determining a joint loss function on the basis of the face image and the face customization image;
In step S205, determining target face customization parameters of the face image on the basis of the joint loss function and the face customization parameters;
All of the above in steps S202-S205 are examples of determined initial character customization parameter information.
and determining target character customization parameter information of the face driving image data based on the initial character customization parameter information, wherein the target character customization parameter information is used to render a virtual character in a virtual scene.
In step S206, Shi discloses determining a face model of the virtual character according to the target face customization parameters for rendering.
And wherein as noted in step S203, the three-dimensional face model is rendered by means of a differentiable mesh renderer to obtain the face customization image of the virtual character.
Shi, however, lacks that the three-dimensional face reconstruction coefficient comprises weight coefficients of target basis vectors of reference three-dimensional faces used when three-dimensional face reconstruction is performed on the face driving image data; and obtaining face pose information that is additionally used to generate the target face customization parameter information.
Zhang discloses an analogous prior art reference for capturing a user’s face including detecting key points and facial actions for use in augmented reality applications that affects a deformation model (see paragraphs [0002]-[0081], and figures 1-4). Zhang teaches both the use of weight coefficients of target basis vectors of reference 3D faces and obtaining and using face posture information for determining target character customization parameter information.
In particular, Zhang discloses calculating a first affine transformation matrix according to a deformation model and face key points, and solving an expression weight coefficient by using the matrix to obtain current face expression information, wherein the step comprises calculating a yaw angle. The deformation model construction method uses a 3D production tool to produce a unisex face model S, mid face shape models and mex expression models; and calculating a face shape basis vector and an expression basis vector. For any face S, a set of a face shape weight coefficient and an expression weight coefficient exist, and a deformation model can be transformed to obtain any face by changing the two weight coefficients. The face key points are expanded according to the yaw angle (i.e., a pose), a second affine transformation matrix is calculated according to the deformation model and the face key points, the face shape weight coefficient is solved to obtain the current face shape information, and the expression weight coefficient is solved to obtain a face expression capture result.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant invention that Shi’s face capture and 3D reconstruction could have involved the use of weighted coefficients of target basis vectors and the capture and use of face posture information as taught by Zhang without causing any unexpected results. The motivation to incorporate these techniques into Shi would be to generate video game character faces that were the most recognizably like the user’s face and to do so in a computationally conservative way.
Re claims 2 and 22, Shi in view of Zhang teaches a character customization parameter prediction model and a parameter integration model, wherein the character customization parameter prediction model generates the initial character customization parameter information (See steps S201-S205 of Shi as discussed above) and the parameter integration model generates target character customization information (See step S206 of Shi as discussed above.)
Re claims 11-12, refer to the rejection of claim 1, wherein the discussion of the method of Shi in view of Zhang necessarily involves a discussion of a computer device and computer-readable media programmed to affect the method of claim 1.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-9 and 14-21 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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to STEVEN J HYLINSKI whose telephone number is (571)270-1995. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 10-530.
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/STEVEN J HYLINSKI/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3715
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