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 § 102
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
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, 6, 19, and 23 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ilola et al. (WO 2021/191500).
Regarding claim 1, Ilola discloses a method comprising:
obtaining a plurality of source views of a scene (See [0052] scene model may comprise a number of source volumes; see also [0088]);
for at least one of the source views, obtaining segmentation information associating each of a plurality of regions of the source view with a respective entity (See [0084] 3D scene is segmented into a number of regions; See [0097] “In MIV, an atlas is used to store a number of patches representing a limited predetermined viewing volume (sub-viewing volume), from where the viewport of the scene may be rendered”. Under a broadest reasonable interpretation of the claim language an entity could read as the viewport of a given scene);
encoding the plurality of source views as an immersive video (See [0053] MIV MPEG) comprising a plurality of patches, the patches being segmented according to the segmentation information (See [0084-0085] segmented regions are projected into 2D patches; See [0100-0101] all patches required to render the point cloud from any spatial position and orientation are packed into the same atlas); and
encoding information indicating which of the source views are associated with the segmentation information used to segment the patches (See [0100-0101] the metadata used to render the immersive video indicates the atlas patches for rendering the scene).
Regarding claim 6, Ilola discloses a method comprising:
obtaining an encoded immersive video comprising a plurality of patches, the video representing a plurality of input views of a scene (See [0052] scene model may comprise a number of source volumes; see also [0088]);
obtaining information indicating which of the input views are associated with segmentation information used to segment the patches (See [0084-0085] segmented regions are projected into 2D patches; See [0100-0101] all patches required to render the point cloud from any spatial position and orientation are packed into the same atlas); and
rendering the immersive video according to the information indicating which of the input views are associated with segmentation information used to segment the patches (See [0100-0101] the metadata used to render the immersive video indicates the atlas patches for rendering the scene).
Regarding claim 19, Ilola further discloses an apparatus comprising one or more processors configured to perform:
obtaining a plurality of source views of a scene (See [0052] scene model may comprise a number of source volumes; see also [0088]);
for at least one of the source views, obtaining segmentation information associating each of a plurality of regions of the source view with a respective entity (See [0084] 3D scene is segmented into a number of regions; See [0097] “In MIV, an atlas is used to store a number of patches representing a limited predetermined viewing volume (sub-viewing volume), from where the viewport of the scene may be rendered”. Under a broadest reasonable interpretation of the claim language an entity could be read as the viewport of a given scene);
encoding the plurality of source views as an immersive video (See [0053] MIV MPEG) comprising a plurality of patches, the patches being segmented according to the segmentation information (See [0084-0085] segmented regions are projected into 2D patches; See [0100-0101] all patches required to render the point cloud from any spatial position and orientation are packed into the same atlas); and
encoding information indicating which of the source views are associated with the segmentation information used to segment the patches (See [0100-0101] the metadata used to render the immersive video indicates the atlas patches for rendering the scene).
Regarding 23, Ilola discloses an apparatus comprising one or more processors configured to perform:
obtaining an encoded immersive video comprising a plurality of patches, the video representing a plurality of input views of a scene; (See [0052] scene model may comprise a number of source volumes; see also [0088])
obtaining information indicating which of the input views are associated with segmentation information used to segment the patches (See [0084-0085] segmented regions are projected into 2D patches; See [0100-0101] all patches required to render the point cloud from any spatial position and orientation are packed into the same atlas); and
rendering the immersive video according to the information indicating which of the input views are associated with segmentation information used to segment the patches (See [0100-0101] the metadata used to render the immersive video indicates the atlas patches for rendering the scene).
Claim(s) 1, 3-6, 8-12, and 19-28 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Dore et al. (WO 2021/122881 A1). The referenced paragraphs are cited with respect to the same disclosure in U.S. child application Dore et al. (US 2023/0042874).
Regarding claim 1, Dore discloses a method comprising:
obtaining a plurality of source views of a scene (Fig 2, Fig 6 and [0045-0057] sequence of 3D scenes; [0010] generating a set of first patches from a Multiview plus depth content for rendering of a 3D scene);
for at least one of the source views, obtaining segmentation information associating each of a plurality of regions of the source view with a respective entity (See [0095] entity id attaches group of patches to an index);
encoding the plurality of source views as an immersive video comprising a plurality of patches, the patches being segmented according to the segmentation information (See [0095-0104] See entity id allowing attaching a group of patches to an index for high level semantic processing such as object filtering or compositing); and
encoding information indicating which of the source views are associated with the segmentation information used to segment the patches (See [0095-0104] metadata describing atlases indicating patch height, patch width, patch pos, etc.).
Regarding claim 3, Dore further discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the information indicating which of the source views are associated with the segmentation information used to segment the patches comprises, for each source view, a flag indicating whether that input view is associated with segmentation information used to segment the patches (See [0101] auxiliary patch indicates that a patch p is not for the viewport rendering).
Regarding claim 4, Dore discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the segmentation information associated with a source view comprises an entity map associated with the source view (See [0089] [0095] patch data comprises a reference to projection data (e.g. an index in a table of projection data or a pointer)).
Regarding claim 5, Dore discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the information indicating which of the source views are associated with the segmentation information used to segment the patches comprises information indicating whether the segmentation information is based on a depth image or on a texture image (See [0088] patches may include identical layout one or texture and one for depth information; [0048-0049] [0085]).
Regarding claim 6, Dore discloses a method comprising:
obtaining an encoded immersive video comprising a plurality of patches, the video representing a plurality of input views of a scene (Fig 2, Fig 6 and [0045-0057] sequence of 3D scenes; [0010] generating a set of first patches from a Multiview plus depth content for rendering of a 3D scene);
obtaining information indicating which of the input views are associated with segmentation information used to segment the patches (See [0095-0104] See entity id allowing attaching a group of patches to an index for high level semantic processing such as object filtering or compositing); and
rendering the immersive video according to the information indicating which of the input views are associated with segmentation information used to segment the patches (See [0095-0104] metadata describing atlases indicating patch height, patch width, patch pos, etc.).
Regarding claim 8, Dore further discloses the method of claim 6, wherein the information indicating which of the source views are associated with the segmentation information used to segment the patches comprises, for each source view, a flag indicating whether that input view is associated with segmentation information used to segment the patches (See [0101] auxiliary patch indicates that a patch p is not for the viewport rendering).
Regarding claim 9, Dore further discloses the method of claim 6, wherein the information indicating which of the source views are associated with the segmentation information used to segment the patches comprises information indicating whether the segmentation information is based on a depth image or on a texture image (See [0088] patches may include identical layout one or texture and one for depth information; [0048-0049] [0085]).
Regarding claim 10, Dore further discloses the method of claim 6, wherein rendering the immersive video according to the information indicating which of the input views are associated with segmentation information used to segment the patches comprises: identifying at least one selected entity to be rendered (See [0095-0105] determining whether entity is for viewport rendering); and in response to a determination that the segmentation information is based on a depth image, performing warping of depth pixels of the immersive video only for depth patches that are associated with the at least one selected entity (See Fig 5 and [0087-0090] depth image; See Fig 9 [0062-0063] [0105] [0090]using the depth information to render the 3D scene; [0091-0093] [0085-0087] projecting the patches on a 3D scene using spherical mapping).
Regarding claim 11, Dore further discloses the method of claim 6 or the apparatus of claim 7, wherein rendering the immersive video according to the information indicating which of the input views are associated with segmentation information used to segment the patches comprises: identifying at least one selected entity to be rendered; and in response to a determination that the segmentation information is based on a texture image: performing warping of depth pixels of the immersive video for depth patches including at least depth patches that are associated with the at least one selected entity; and performing blending of color values based only on color pixels that are associated with the at least one selected entity (See [0091] the patch consists of pairs of texture and depth. See [0094] texture layout. See [0041] color component expressed as RGB or YUV. [0048] Frames colors. See [0088] texture i.e., color information. [0091-0093] [0085-0087] projecting the patches on a 3D scene using spherical mapping).
Regarding claim 12, Dore further discloses the method of claim 6, wherein rendering the immersive video according to the information indicating which of the input views are associated with segmentation information used to segment the patches comprises: in response to a determination that the segmentation information is based on a depth image, making a visibility determination based at least in part on the segmentation information (See [0095-0103] the auxiliary patch flag is used to determine whether a patch comprises information for the rendering and/or for another module).
Regarding claim 19, Dore further discloses an apparatus comprising one or more processors configured to perform:
obtaining a plurality of source views of a scene (Fig 2, Fig 6 and [0045-0057] sequence of 3D scenes; [0010] generating a set of first patches from a Multiview plus depth content for rendering of a 3D scene);
for at least one of the source views, obtaining segmentation information associating each of a plurality of regions of the source view with a respective entity (See [0095] entity id attaches group of patches to an index);
encoding the plurality of source views as an immersive video comprising a plurality of patches, the patches being segmented according to the segmentation information (See [0095-0104] See entity id allowing attaching a group of patches to an index for high level semantic processing such as object filtering or compositing); and
encoding information indicating which of the source views are associated with the segmentation information used to segment the patches (See [0095-0104] metadata describing atlases indicating patch height, patch width, patch pos, etc.).
Regarding claim 20, Dore further discloses the apparatus of claim 19, wherein the information indicating which of the source views are associated with the segmentation information used to segment the patches comprises, for each source view, a flag indicating whether that input view is associated with segmentation information used to segment the patches (See [0101] auxiliary patch indicates that a patch p is not for the viewport rendering).
Regarding claim 21, Dore further discloses the apparatus of claim 19, wherein the segmentation information associated with a source view comprises an entity map associated with the source view (See [0089] [0095] patch data comprises a reference to projection data (e.g. an index in a table of projection data or a pointer)).
Regarding claim 22, Dore further discloses the apparatus of claim 19, wherein the information indicating which of the source views are associated with the segmentation information used to segment the patches comprises information indicating whether the segmentation information is based on a depth image or on a texture image (See [0088] patches may include identical layout one or texture and one for depth information; [0048-0049] [0085]).
Regarding 23, Dore discloses an apparatus comprising one or more processors configured to perform:
obtaining an encoded immersive video comprising a plurality of patches, the video representing a plurality of input views of a scene; (Fig 2, Fig 6 and [0045-0057] sequence of 3D scenes; [0010] generating a set of first patches from a Multiview plus depth content for rendering of a 3D scene)
obtaining information indicating which of the input views are associated with segmentation information used to segment the patches (See [0095-0104] See entity id allowing attaching a group of patches to an index for high level semantic processing such as object filtering or compositing); and
rendering the immersive video according to the information indicating which of the input views are associated with segmentation information used to segment the patches (See [0095-0104] metadata describing atlases indicating patch height, patch width, patch pos, etc.).
Regarding claim 24, Dore discloses the apparatus of claim 23, wherein the information indicating which of the source views are associated with the segmentation information used to segment the patches comprises, for each source view, a flag indicating whether that input view is associated with segmentation information used to segment the patches (See [0101] auxiliary patch indicates that a patch p is not for the viewport rendering).
Regarding claim 25, Dore discloses the apparatus of claim 23, wherein the information indicating which of the source views are associated with the segmentation information used to segment the patches comprises information indicating whether the segmentation information is based on a depth image or on a texture image (See [0088] patches may include identical layout one or texture and one for depth information; [0048-0049] [0085]).
Regarding claim 26, Dore discloses the apparatus of claim 23, wherein rendering the immersive video according to the information indicating which of the input views are associated with segmentation information used to segment the patches comprises:
identifying at least one selected entity to be rendered; and in response to a determination that the segmentation information is based on a depth image, performing warping of depth pixels of the immersive video only for depth patches that are associated with the at least one selected entity (See [0091] the patch consists of pairs of texture and depth. See [0094] texture layout. See [0041] color component expressed as RGB or YUV. [0048] Frames colors. See [0088] texture i.e., color information. [0091-0093] [0085-0087] projecting the patches on a 3D scene using spherical mapping).
Regarding claim 27, Dore further discloses the apparatus of claim 23, wherein rendering the immersive video according to the information indicating which of the input views are associated with segmentation information used to segment the patches comprises:
identifying at least one selected entity to be rendered (See [0095-0105] determining whether entity is for viewport rendering); and in response to a determination that the segmentation information is based on a texture image: performing warping of depth pixels of the immersive video for depth patches including at least depth patches that are associated with the at least one selected entity; and performing blending of color values based only on color pixels that are associated with the at least one selected entity (See Fig 5 and [0087-0090] depth image; See Fig 9 [0062-0063] [0105] [0090]using the depth information to render the 3D scene; [0091-0093] [0085-0087] projecting the patches on a 3D scene using spherical mapping).
Regarding claim 28, Dore further discloses the apparatus of claim 23, wherein rendering the immersive video according to the information indicating which of the input views are associated with segmentation information used to segment the patches comprises: in response to a determination that the segmentation information is based on a depth image, making a visibility determination based at least in part on the segmentation information (See [0095-0103] the auxiliary patch flag is used to determine whether a patch comprises information for the rendering and/or for another module).
Conclusion
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FERNANDO . ALCON
Examiner
Art Unit 2425
/FERNANDO ALCON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2425