DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
This office action is a response to an application filed on 02/12/2026, in which claims 1-20 are pending and ready for examination.
Response to Amendment
Claim 20 is currently amended.
Response to Argument
Applicant's arguments filed 02/12/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
With respect to claims rejected under 35 USC 103, the Applicant argues, see Pg. 7, that Xu does not teach (1) IBC reference modes including no-IBC, local-referencing IBC mode, non-local-referencing IBC mode, local-and-non-local referencing mode, (2) signaling of the IBC referencing mode.
Examiner cannot concur. As taught in Pg. 2, last Para., Xu teaches signaling different region indexes that indicate different referencing modes including local-referencing IBC, i.e. regions, 3, 5, 7, 9, non-local referencing IBC, i.e. regions 2, 4, 6, 8 (left regions are excluded), and local-and-non-local referencing mode, i.e. region 1. In Pg. 4, last Para., CPR/IBC is taught to be enabled or not such that no-IBC mode is signaled when CPR/IBC is not enabled.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
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 1-11, 13-15, and 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim (US Pub. 20220141495 A1) in view of Xu (“CE8: Summary Report on Current Picture Referencing”, IDS submitted on 01/14/2025).
Regarding claim 1, Kim discloses a method for encoding a video block in a current video frame, comprising (Kim; Fig. 1; Para. [0054]. A video coding system/method is used to encode a video block of a video frame.):
receiving the video block (Kim; Para. [0146-148]. A video block is received, also see Para. [0054].);
searching for a reference block in the current video frame for intra block copy (IBC) prediction of the video block (Kim; Para. [0146-148]. A reference block is determined/search for IBC mode for a current frame.);
determining an IBC referencing mode for the IBC prediction of the video block according to the location of the reference block, the IBC referencing mode being selected from a predefined set of IBC referencing modes including at least a no-IBC mode (Kim; Para. [0146-148]. An IBC mode is determined for IBC prediction in accordance with a reference block location, wherein a IBC mode is determined from a set of IBC modes including at least a no-IBC mode.).
But Kim does not specifically disclose determining a location of the reference block as either a local block or non-local block relative to the video block; determining an IBC referencing mode for the IBC prediction of the video block according to the location of the reference block, the IBC referencing mode being selected from a predefined set of IBC referencing modes including at least a local-referencing IBC mode, a non-local-referencing IBC mode, and a local-and-non-local-referencing IBC mode; and encoding the video block in a bitstream using the reference block and signaling the IBC referencing mode as at least one syntax element in the bitstream.
However, Xu teaches determining a location of the reference block as either a local block or non-local block relative to the video block (Xu; Pg. 2-3, 5, Heading “2.1 JVET-L0077:Intra region-based template matching”. A location of reference block is determined for local block or non-local block.);
determining an IBC referencing mode for the IBC prediction of the video block according to the location of the reference block, the IBC referencing mode being selected from a predefined set of IBC referencing modes including at least a no-IBC mode, a local-referencing IBC mode, a non-local-referencing IBC mode, and a local-and-non-local-referencing IBC mode (Xu; Pg. 2, last Para. Different region indexes are signaled, indicating different referencing modes including local-referencing IBC, i.e. regions, 3, 5, 7, 9, non-local referencing IBC, i.e. regions 2, 4, 6, 8 (left regions are excluded), and local-and-non-local referencing mode, i.e. region 1. In Pg. 4, last Para., CPR/IBC is enabled or not such that no-IBC mode is signaled when CPR/IBC is not enabled.); and
encoding the video block in a bitstream using the reference block and signaling the IBC referencing mode as at least one syntax element in the bitstream (Xu; Pg. 2, last Para. Different region indexes are signaled, indicating different referencing modes including local-referencing IBC, i.e. regions, 3, 5, 7, 9, non-local referencing IBC, i.e. regions 2, 4, 6, 8 (left regions are excluded), and local-and-non-local referencing mode, i.e. region 1. In Pg. 4, last Para., CPR/IBC is enabled or not such that no-IBC mode is signaled when CPR/IBC is not enabled.).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person with ordinary skill in the pertinent before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the video coding system of Kim to adapt an image IBC coding approach, by incorporating Xu’s teaching wherein different IBC referencing modes are employed, for the motivation to enable CPR/IBC coding for video coding efficiency (Xu; Abstract.).
Regarding claim 2, modified Kim teaches wherein the video block belongs to a current IBC prediction unit comprising a plurality of video blocks (Xu; Pg. 2-3, 5, Heading “2.1 JVET-L0077:Intra region-based template matching”. A video block is in a current IBC unit of different video blocks.).
Regarding claim 3, modified Kim teaches wherein, for the non-local-referencing IBC mode, a reference block for the IBC prediction of the video block comprises reference samples in reconstructed intra-frame areas that are non-neighbors to the current IBC prediction unit in a coding direction of the current IBC prediction unit (Xu; Pg. 2-3, 5, Heading “2.1 JVET-L0077:Intra region-based template matching”. A reference block for IBC prediction of a video block includes reference samples in a reconstructed intra frame that are non-neighboring to a current block in a coding direction of a current block.).
Regarding claim 4, modified Kim teaches wherein, for the local-referencing IBC mode, the reference block for the IBC prediction of the video block comprises reference samples in a predefined set of neighboring units of the current IBC prediction unit or already-reconstructed video blocks in the current IBC prediction unit (Xu; Pg. 2-3, 5, Heading “2.1 JVET-L0077:Intra region-based template matching”. A reference block for IBC prediction of a video block includes reference samples in a reconstructed intra frame that are neighboring to a current block in a coding direction of a current block.).
Regarding claim 5, modified Kim teaches wherein the predefined set of neighboring units comprise a single left neighboring unit of the current IBC prediction unit (Xu; Fig. 1, Pg. 2-3, 5, Heading “2.1 JVET-L0077:Intra region-based template matching”. A set of neighboring units include a single left neighboring block of a current block.).
Regarding claim 6, modified Kim teaches wherein, for the local-referencing IBC mode, the reference samples for the IBC prediction are maintained in an on-chip reference sample memory (RSM) of a fixed size (Xu; Fig. 1, Pg. 3, 1st Para, Pg. 3-5, Heading “2.1 JVET-L0077:Intra region-based template matching”. For a local IBC mode, reference samples for IBC prediction are kept on a reference memory with a fixed sized corresponding to sample areas as shown in Fig. 1.).
Regarding claim 7, modified Kim teaches wherein the fixed size of the RSM corresponds to a size of one IBC prediction unit (Xu; Fig. 1, Pg. 3, 1st Para, Pg. 3-5, Heading “2.1 JVET-L0077:Intra region-based template matching”. For a local IBC mode, reference samples for IBC prediction are kept on a reference memory with a fixed size corresponding to sample areas of at least a prediction block as shown in Fig. 1.).
Regarding claim 8, modified Kim teaches wherein: first portions of the RSM comprise corresponding samples of the already-reconstructed video blocks in the current IBC prediction unit (Xu; Fig. 1, Pg. 3, 1st Para, Pg. 3-5, Heading “2.1 JVET-L0077:Intra region-based template matching”. First portion of reference sample memory includes samples of reconstructed IBC block.); and
second portions of the RSM comprise corresponding reconstructed samples from the predefined set of neighboring units (Xu; Fig. 1, Pg. 3, 1st Para, Pg. 3-5, Heading “2.1 JVET-L0077:Intra region-based template matching”. Second portion of reference sample memory includes reconstructed samples of predefined neighboring blocks.);.
Regarding claim 9, modified Kim teaches further comprising replacing reconstructed samples of the predefined set of neighboring units in the RSM corresponding to the video block in the current IBC prediction unit with reconstructed samples of the video block (Xu; Fig. 1, Pg. 3, 1st Para, Pg. 3-5, Heading “2.1 JVET-L0077:Intra region-based template matching”. Reconstructed samples of neighboring blocks of reference sample memory for a current block is replaced with different reconstructed samples of blocks of different search areas.).
Regarding claim 10, modified Kim teaches wherein: the current IBC prediction unit is split into a predefined set of divisions (Xu; Fig. 1, Pg. 3, 1st Para, Pg. 3-5, Heading “2.1 JVET-L0077:Intra region-based template matching”. A current block is divided into different partitions.);
the video block is a first coding block to be reconstructed of a current division among the predefined set of divisions (Xu; Fig. 1, Pg. 3, 1st Para, Pg. 3-5, Heading “2.1 JVET-L0077:Intra region-based template matching”. A current block is a first block to be reconstruction of a partition among different partitions.); and
the method further comprises resetting a division of the RSM corresponding to the current division as being unavailable for IBC referencing prior to reconstruction of the video block (Xu; Fig. 1, Pg. 3, 1st Para, Pg. 3-5, Heading “2.1 JVET-L0077:Intra region-based template matching”. A partition is reset for a current partition to be unavailable for a different IBC referencing mode prior to the reconstruction.).
Regarding claim 11, modified Kim teaches wherein the at least one syntax element comprises a first flag for indicating that local IBC referencing is enabled when being set and a second flag for indicating that non-local referencing IBC is enabled when being set (Xu; Fig. 1, Pg. 3-5, Heading “2.1 JVET-L0077:Intra region-based template matching”. Different indexes/flags corresponding to different search areas includes at least a first index/flag indicating a local IBC referencing is enabled and a second flag indicating a non-local referencing IBC is enabled.).
Regarding claim 13, modified Kim teaches where the first flag and the second flag are signaled in the bitstream at a coding block level, coding unit level, a coding tree unit level, a slice level, a picture level, or a sequence level (Xu; Fig. 1, Pg. 3-5, Heading “2.1 JVET-L0077:Intra region-based template matching”. Indexes/flags corresponding to different areas are signaled in a bitstream at at least one of a coding block level, coding unit level, coding tree unit level, a slice level, a picture level, or a sequence level.).
Regarding claim 14, modified Kim teaches wherein the at least one syntax element comprises a first flag for indicating whether IBC is used for the video block (Kim; Para. [0146-148]. At least one syntax element includes a first flag for indicating whether an IBC mode is used for a current block.).
Regarding claim 15, modified Kim teaches in response to the first flag indicating that IBC is not used for the video block, determining that the IBC referencing mode is the no-IBC mode (Kim; Para. [0146-148]. For a first flag indicating an IBC ode is not used, an IBC mode/IBC referencing mode is not used.).
Regarding claim 18, modified Kim teaches wherein: a loop filtering process is enabled when the IBC referencing mode is the local-referencing IBC mode (Xu; Pg. 5, Heading “2.3 JVET-L0293: Current picture referencing with local search range constraints”. A loop filtering processing is enabled for a local IBC mode being used.); and
the loop filtering process is disabled when the IBC referencing mode is the non-local-referencing IBC mode or the local-and-non-local-referencing IBC mode (Xu; Pg. 5, Heading “2.4 JVET-L0295: Current picture referencing with non-local search range constraints”. A loop filtering processing is disabled for a non-local IBC mode being used.).
Regarding claim 19, modified Kim teaches wherein whether the loop filter process is enabled is derived from the at least one syntax element for signaling the IBC referencing mode ((Xu; Pg. 5, Heading “2.4 JVET-L0295: Current picture referencing with non-local search range constraints”. Whether a loop filtering process being enabled is dependent from at least an index/flag for signaling a IBC referencing mode.).
Claim 20 is directed to a non-transitory computer readable medium for storing a video bit stream of a video block, the video bitstream comprising components corresponding to the same as claimed in claim 1, and is non-patentable over the prior art for the same reason as previously indicated.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 12 and 16-17 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.
Chen (US Pub. 20240015333 A1) teaches a video coding system that performs high-level syntax control flags for template matching-related coding tools in video coding.
Xu (US Pub. 20220124306 A1) teaches a video coding system that performs prediction using displacement vector.
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.
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/ALBERT KIR/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2485
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