CTNF 18/876,253 CTNF 74749 DETAILED ACTION Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA. It is responsive to the submission dated 12/18/2024. Claims 1-14 and 16-25 are presented for examination. Information Disclosure Statement 2. The information disclosure statements (IDSs) submitted on 12/18/2024 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97 and are being considered by the Examiner. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 07-30-02 AIA 3. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b): (b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA), second paragraph: The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention. 07-34-01 4. Claims 1-14 and 16-25 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. Claim 1 recites: " the view dependency indication is indicative of a degree of variation of at least one visual properties for scene points of the image region as a function of viewing direction", which renders the claimed limitation indefinite for failing to make what the applicant regards as the invention. For examples, the phrase “view dependency indication” encompasses a vague concept that is not sufficiently defined in the claim; thus, leaving the reader in doubt with regards to how said “view dependency indication” is obtained. The phrase “visual properties for scene points” is notoriously broad in that it fails to limit the scope of protection sought by the applicant in a manner that a person skill in the art can carry out the invention. Additionally, the phrase “scene points of the image region” renders the claimed limitation indefinite because the detail of what constitutes the “scene points” of the image region is not made clear in the claim. The “scene points”, in the claim context, are broad and do not exclude a plurality of focal points, distinct 3D coordinate points in a physical environment; 3D points projected through an image sensor and/or point clouds data at specific locations on a scene image. Furthermore, the “image region” does not exclude a central/center region, a target region and/or a boundary region amongst a plurality of sub-divided image regions. Therefore, the invention cannot be clearly understood as to how to limit the metes and bounds of the claim. Claim 6 is indefinite because it is unclear as to how a “portion of a point cloud” is obtained and represented on the image plane. In claim 8, the limitation reciting: “the generator circuit is arranged to select a portion of the input three-dimensional image data, comprise the three dimensional image data of the data signal” renders the claim indefinite, because it is unclear as to what is being encompassed by “ select a portion of the input three dimensional image data , comprise …”. Particularly, the details as to how the generator perform image portion selection and the parameters for determining such image data portion are not made clear in the claim. As such, the limitation fails to limit the claim. The features of claim 10 render the claim indefinite for reasons similar to those discussed above with regards to claim 1. The limitations of claim 11 render the claim indefinite, because the details of how the blending of “contributions from a plurality of light property values of the three-dimensional image data projecting to a position of the at least one pixel in the view image” are performed as to “generate a value for at least one pixel of the view image” is not made clear in the claim. Such details are essential to discovering the true intended meaning and full scope of the invention. Claim 12 is indefinite for the same reasons as claim 1. Claim 13 recites features that are analogous to claim 1. It is rendered indefinite under the same rationale as claim 1. The features of claim 23 render the claim indefinite for reasons similar to those discussed above with regards to claim 8. Claim 25 is indefinite for reasons similar to claim 11. Therefore, the inventions pertaining to the above claims do not satisfy the clarity requirement. The claims not specifically cited in this rejection are rejected as being dependent upon their rejected base claims. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 07-07-aia AIA 07-07 5. 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 – 07-08-aia AIA (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. 07-15 AIA 6. Claim s 1-7, 9-10, 13-14, 16-22, and 24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102( a)(a2 ) as being anticipated by Bruls et al. (EP 3691249 A1) . Considering claim 1, Bruls discloses an apparatus comprising a generator circuit, wherein the generator circuit is arranged to generate a data signal ( see para. 1 and claim 12 at lines 56-57, page 13 of Bruls ); wherein the data signal comprises a three-dimensional image data and a view dependency indication ( e.g., separate view images presented for left and right eyes display on a VR headset or an auto-stereoscopic display; see paras. 1 and 53-54 and 57-59 of Grass. Paras. 79-80 of Grass further teaches a renderer 303 which is arranged to generate view images for different viewports/ viewer poses and a view pose determiner 305 may receive view pose metadata from a headset; and claim 12 of Bruls describes the signal generator being arranged to include the image data and the metadata in the image signal , which implies that the image data signal encompasses a view signal dependency indication ), wherein the three-dimensional image data provides a representation of a three-dimensional scene, wherein the three-dimensional image data comprises a first image ( see paras. 53-54 ), wherein the first image comprises light property values for scene points in the three-dimensional scene ( see claim 12 and paras. 17-21 and 94 of Bruls ); and a processor circuit ( e.g., generator 205, fig. 2 ), wherein the processor circuit is arranged to generate the view dependency indication for an image region of the first image, wherein the view dependency indication is indicative of a degree of variation of at least one visual properties for scene points of the image region as a function of viewing direction ( e.g., claim 12 of Bruls discloses a second generator (205) for generating metadata comprising a plurality of parameters describing a variation of at least one of the ray origins and the ray directions for pixels as a function of pixel image positions”…. the signal generator being arranged to include the image data and the metadata in the image signal". Bruls further teaches "The approach may allow improved image quality in many embodiments and may for example allow the rays to focus on scene objects or regions of particular importance (e.g. faces) or on objects or regions that are more challenging to capture (such as highly detailed objects)". In addition, Grass discloses the image data comprises a plurality of images that represents partial field of views that are different for the at least two images. The image data further comprises a plurality of parameters describe different functions for mapping pixel image positions to one of the ray origins and the ray directions for at least two images of the plurality of images; and further describes a variation of the ray directions for pixels as a function of pixel image positions. See paras. 38-44 and 48. Thus, according to Bruls , the view dependency indication of the image regions is defined based on the viewing direction and the visual properties for scene points or pixels of the image). Regarding claim 10, Bruls discloses an apparatus (103, fig. 2) comprising: a first receiver circuit (201) arranged to receive a data signal (see para. 17), wherein the data signal comprises a three-dimensional image data and a view dependency indication for an image region of a first image ( see paras. 53-54, and claim 1 of Bruls), wherein the three-dimensional image data provides a representation of a three-dimensional scene ( see para. 53 ), wherein the three-dimensional image data comprises the first image ( e.g., left or right eye image; see para. 53 ), wherein the first image comprises light property values for scene points in the three-dimensional scene ( see paras. 17 and 21 ), wherein the view dependency indication is indicative of a degree of variation of at least one or more visual properties for scene points of the image region as a function of viewing direction ( see paras. 17, 38-44, 48, 83-87 and 102-107 and claim 12 of Bruls); a second receiver circuit ( e.g., client device 101 ) arranged to receive a view pose for the three-dimensional scene ( see para. 80 ); and a renderer circuit (303) arranged to generate a view image for the view pose from the three-dimensional image data based on the view dependency indication of the image region of the first image ( see paras. 83-87 and claim 1 of Bruls). The subject-matters of claims 12 and 14 correspond in terms of a method and computer program to that of apparatus claim 1, and the rationale raised above to reject the later also apply, mutatis mutandis, to the former. The subject-matters of claims 13 and 16 correspond in terms of a method and computer program to that of apparatus claim 10, and the rationale raised above to reject the later also apply, mutatis mutandis, to the former. As per claim 2, Bruls discloses the processor circuit is arranged to determine light properties in different directions for a scene region represented by the image region (see paras. 17 and 45), wherein the processor circuit is arranged to determine the view dependency indication in response to a variation of the light properties for the different directions ( see paras. 17, 38-45, 48, 83-87 and 102-107 and claim 12 of Bruls). See also claim 12 of Bruls. As per claim 3, Bruls discloses the view dependency indication is indicative of a variation in light radiation as a function of direction for the scene points of the image region (see para. 95). As per claim 4, Bruls discloses the representation of the three-dimensional scene is a multi-view plus depth representation, and the first image is an image of a plurality set of multi view images of the multi-view plus depth representation (see para. 21). As per claim 5, Bruls discloses the representation of the three-dimensional scene is a multi-planar image representation, and the first image is a plane of the multi-planar image representation. See paras. 53 and 58-59. As per claim 6, Bruls discloses the representation of the three-dimensional scene is a point cloud representation, and the first image comprises light property values for a projection of at least a portion part of the point cloud representation onto an image plane ( e.g., camera sensor capturing 3D poses in the form of view points in the scene in world coordinates representing the scene’s points and project the world coordinates onto the virtual image, and based on the projection type the projector finds the image position that corresponds to the scene points based on light ray directions. See paras. 107-108, wherein the captured of the 3D poses, using a sensor, in world coordinates representing the scene’s points for projection encompasses the 3D point cloud representation ). As per claim 7, Bruls discloses the representation of the three-dimensional scene comprises is a representation comprising at least the first image and projection data, wherein the projection data is indicative of a relationship between light property value positions of the first image and positions of corresponding scene points in the three-dimensional scene. See paras. 107-108 of Bruls. As per claim 9, Bruls discloses a chrominance color channel for an image of the three-dimensional image data comprises the view dependency indication. See para. 21. Claim 17 is rejected under the same rationale as claim 2. Claim 18 is rejected under the same rationale as claim 3. Claim 19 is rejected under the same rationale as claim 4. Claim 20 is rejected under the same rationale as claim 5. Claim 21 is rejected under the same rationale as claim 6. Claim 22 is rejected under the same rationale as claim 7. Claim 24 is rejected under the same rationale as claim 9 . Conclusion 07-96 AIA 7. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Varekamp et al. (US 2024032333) discloses An apparatus comprises a receiver ( 601 ) receiving captured video data for a real world scene and being linked with a capture pose region. A store ( 615 ) stores a 3D mesh model of the real world scene. A renderer ( 605 ) generates an output image for a viewport for a viewing pose. The renderer ( 605 ) comprises a first circuit ( 607 ) arranged to generate first image data for the output image by projection of captured video data to the viewing pose and second circuit ( 609 ) arranged to determine second image data for a first region of the output image in response to the three-dimensional mesh model. A third circuit ( 611 ) generates the output image to include at least some of the first image data and to include the second image data for the first region. A fourth circuit ( 613 ) determines the first region based on a deviation of the viewing pose relative to the capture pose region. 8. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WESNER SAJOUS whose telephone number is (571)272-7791. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 10:00 TO 7:30 (ET). Examiner interviews are available via telephone 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 or email the Examiner directly at wesner.sajous@uspto.gov. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Said Broome can be reached on 571-272-2931. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. 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If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /WESNER SAJOUS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2612 WS 06/12/2026 Application/Control Number: 18/876,253 Page 2 Art Unit: 2612 Application/Control Number: 18/876,253 Page 3 Art Unit: 2612 Application/Control Number: 18/876,253 Page 4 Art Unit: 2612 Application/Control Number: 18/876,253 Page 5 Art Unit: 2612 Application/Control Number: 18/876,253 Page 6 Art Unit: 2612 Application/Control Number: 18/876,253 Page 7 Art Unit: 2612 Application/Control Number: 18/876,253 Page 8 Art Unit: 2612 Application/Control Number: 18/876,253 Page 9 Art Unit: 2612 Application/Control Number: 18/876,253 Page 10 Art Unit: 2612 Application/Control Number: 18/876,253 Page 11 Art Unit: 2612
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