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 .
Election/Restrictions
Claims 2-9, 11-14 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected inventions, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Applicant timely traversed the restriction (election) requirement in the reply filed on 10/24/25.
Applicant's election with traverse of Species 4 corresponding to claims 1, 10 and 15 in the reply filed on 10/24/25 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that Species 1-4 are directed to related inventions that are not distinct and are not mutually exclusive. This is not found persuasive because as noted in the requirement for restriction/election on 9/2/25 claims to the different species recite the mutually exclusive characteristics of such species. For example, the elected Species 4 is directed to mirror prediction as shown in Figs. 19A-19B that clearly has features such as obtaining a reference block based on the block vector of the current block, and then generating a prediction block of the current block by flipping the reference block not found in the other mirror prediction Species 1, 2 or 3 and vice versa; for example, Species 1 is directed to mirror prediction as shown in Fig. 7 that involves location of a boundary shown in Figs. 8-9 to determine whether first type or second type and then using P lines as reference samples to perform mirror prediction of a region and then perform regular intra prediction of non-mirror prediction region (see paragraphs [0123]-[0142] as indicated in the requirement for restriction/election).
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claim 15 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to non-statutory subject matter. The claim(s) does/do not fall within at least one of the four categories of patent eligible subject matter because when the specification is silent (no special definition provided in the original disclosure), the BRI of the computer-readable recording medium covers a signal per se. Examiner advises the applicant to amend the claim to recite the computer-readable recording medium is non-transitory in order to overcome the 101 issue.
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.
Claim(s) 1 and 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by US 2022/0217399 A1 (“Liang”).
Regarding claim 1, Liang discloses a method performed by a video decoding device for predicting a target block, the method comprising:
obtaining mirror prediction information (e.g. see parse a bitstream to obtain mode information of an intra block copy-mirror mode S401 in Fig. 10, paragraphs [0117]-[0125]; also discussed with more details in Fig. 11, paragraphs [0126]-[0148]) for the target block (e.g. see current block, e.g. shown as Cur_blk in Fig. 1, paragraphs [0117]-[0125]; also discussed with more details in Fig. 11, paragraphs [0126]-[0148]); and
performing a mirror prediction on the target block based on the mirror prediction information (e.g. see construct a prediction block of the current block by performing mirror transform on the reference block S403 in Fig. 10, paragraphs [0117]-[0125]; also discussed with more details in Fig. 11, paragraphs [0126]-[0148]);
wherein, when the target block is all of a current block to be decoded (e.g. see current block, e.g. shown as Cur_blk in Fig. 1, paragraphs [0117]-[0125]; also discussed with more details in Fig. 11, paragraphs [0126]-[0148]):
obtaining the mirror prediction information comprises obtaining a block vector of the current block (e.g. see obtain a valid block vector of a current block in S501 in Fig. 11, paragraphs [0126]-[0148]); and
performing the mirror prediction comprises obtaining a reference block based on the block vector of the current block (e.g. see obtain a position of the reference block and the first sample value of the reference block according to the valid block vector S504, paragraphs [0126]-[0148]), and then generating a prediction block of the current block by flipping the reference block (e.g. see construct the prediction block of the current block by performing mirror transform on the reference block according to the position and the first sample value of the reference block S505, paragraphs [0126]-[0148]).
Regarding claim 10, the claim recites analogous limitations to the claim above and is therefore rejected on the same premise.
Claim(s) 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 2015/0016537 A1 (“Karczewicz”).
Regarding claim 15, Karczewicz discloses a computer-readable recording medium storing a bitstream generated by a video encoding method, the video encoding method comprising: setting mirror prediction information for a target block; and performing a mirror prediction on the target block based on the mirror prediction information; wherein, when the target block is all of a current block to be decoded, setting the mirror prediction information comprises determining a block vector of the current block; and performing the mirror prediction comprises obtaining a reference block based on the block vector of the current block, and then generating a prediction block of the current block by flipping the prediction block (e.g. see at least 34 in Fig. 1, paragraphs [0033], [0038]; note: the computer-readable recording medium merely serves as support for the bitstream, see MPEP 2111.05. No patentable weight is given to the bitstream).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US 20240223797 A1, Chen et al., TEMPLATE MATCHING FOR FLIPPED INTRA BLOCK COPY
US 20240236314 A1, Wang et al., FILTERING APPLIED TO PREDICTION IN VIDEO CODING
US 2023/0217037 A1, Ruiz Coll et al., Adaptive reordering of adjusted block vector predictor candidates
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FRANCIS G GEROLEO whose telephone number is (571)270-7206. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:00 am - 3:30 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Anna M Momper can be reached at (571) 270-5788. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Francis Geroleo/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3619
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