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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
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.
Claims 18-19 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 18 recites the limitation "The decoder of claim 1" in line 1. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claim 1 does not recite a decoder. The recited dependence on claim 1 appears to be a scrivener’s error; it appears that claim 18 was intended to depend from claim 17. For purposes of compact prosecution, claim 18 has been interpreted as if it had depended from claim 17.
With regards to claim 19, this claim depends from claim 18 and therefore incorporates the features of that claim that were rejected as indefinite under 35 USC § 112(b).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-3 and 10-11 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.
Claims 18-19 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
With regards to claims 2, 10 and 18, several of the features of these claims were known in the art as evidenced by Karras (US PG Pub. No. 2013/0235050) which discloses determining a first index (e.g., “internal node index ‘3’ 440”) of a current node (e.g., node 440) based on occupied child nodes (“leaf nodes”) of a decoded neighboring node of the current node on a k-th axis at ¶¶ [0055]-[0070] and FIG. 4; in particular, see, ¶ [0065]: “For example, in FIG. 4, the range for the internal node index ‘3 ‘ 440 begins or ends with primitive index or leaf node "3" 450. The direction is determined by comparing the neighboring indexes or leaf nodes ,such as, primitive index ‘2’ 470 and primitive index ‘4’ 480, with the primitive having the same index as the internal node (e.g., primitive index ‘3’ 450). As such, primitive index ‘2’ 470 has a Morton code sequence of ‘0-0-1-0-0’, primitive index ‘3’ 450 has a Morton code sequence of ‘0-0-1-0-1’, and primitive index ‘4’ has a Morton codes equence of ‘1-0-0-1-1.’ The primitive index with the most matches to primitive index ‘3’ 450 is primitive index ‘2’ 470. As such, the direction of the range 445 goes to the left to include primitive index ‘2’ 470, such that the range 445 includes primitive indices ‘0-3’”. However, Karras does not disclose determining the first index of the current node based on the occupied child nodes of the decoded neighboring node of the current node on the k-th axis comprises: determining the first index as a first value, if the occupied child nodes of the decoded neighboring node are all distributed on a first plane perpendicular to the k-th axis, determining the first index as a second value, if the occupied child nodes of the decoded neighboring node are all distributed on a second plane perpendicular to the k-th axis and otherwise, predicting the first index to be a third value.
With regards to claims 3, 11 and 19, these claims depend from claims 2, 10 and 18, respectively, and therefore incorporate the features of those claims that were found allowable.
Other prior art considered and hereby made of record includes:
Oh et al (US PG Pub. No. 2024/0029312), which discloses encoding point cloud data; and transmitting a bitstream including the point cloud data. In addition, a point cloud data transmission device according to embodiments may comprise: an encoder which encodes point cloud data; and a transmitter which transmits a bitstream including the point cloud data. In addition, a point cloud data reception method may comprise the steps of: receiving a bitstream including point cloud data; and decoding the point cloud data. In addition, a point cloud data reception device may comprise: a reception unit which receives a bitstream including point cloud data; and a decoder which decodes the point cloud data.
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.
Claims 1, 4-9, 12-17 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Karras (US PG Pub. No. 2013/0235050).
With regards to claim 1, Karras discloses determining a first index (e.g., “internal node index ‘3’ 440”) of a current node (e.g., node 440) based on occupied child nodes (“leaf nodes”) of a decoded neighboring node of the current node on a k-th axis at ¶¶ [0055]-[0070] and FIG. 4; in particular, see, ¶ [0065]: “For example, in FIG. 4, the range for the internal node index ‘3 ‘ 440 begins or ends with primitive index or leaf node "3" 450. The direction is determined by comparing the neighboring indexes or leaf nodes ,such as, primitive index ‘2’ 470 and primitive index ‘4’ 480, with the primitive having the same index as the internal node (e.g., primitive index ‘3’ 450). As such, primitive index ‘2’ 470 has a Morton code sequence of ‘0-0-1-0-0’, primitive index ‘3’ 450 has a Morton code sequence of ‘0-0-1-0-1’, and primitive index ‘4’ has a Morton codes equence of ‘1-0-0-1-1.’ The primitive index with the most matches to primitive index ‘3’ 450 is primitive index ‘2’ 470. As such, the direction of the range 445 goes to the left to include primitive index ‘2’ 470, such that the range 445 includes primitive indices ‘0-3’”.
With regards to claim 4, Karras discloses the decoded neighboring node is a node adjacent to the current node (e.g., node 440) in a negative direction (e.g., “to the left”) of the k-th axis at ¶¶ [0055]-[0070] and FIGS. 4 and 6; in particular, see pseudo code at FIG. 6 and ¶¶ [0069]-[0070].
With regards to claim 5, Karras discloses determining the first index (e.g., “internal node index ‘3’ 440”) of the current node (e.g., node 440) based on the occupied child nodes of the decoded neighboring node of the current node on the k-th axis comprises determining the first index based on the occupied child nodes of the decoded neighboring node and occupied child nodes of a first node at ¶¶ [0055]-[0070] and FIG. 4; in particular, see, ¶ [0065].
With regards to claim 6, Karras discloses the first node (e.g., node 440) comprises a node adjacent to the decoded neighboring node in a negative direction of the k-th axis
With regards to claim 7, Karras discloses a value of k is 0, 1, or 2 at ¶¶ [0055]-[0070] and FIG. 4; in particular, see, ¶ [0056] and FIG. 4.
With regards to claim 8, Karras discloses decoding the current node (e.g., node 440) based on the first index of the current node at ¶¶ [0055]-[0070] and FIG. 4; in particular, see, ¶ [0065].
With regards to claims 9 and 12-16, the steps performed by the methods of these claims are anticipated by Karras for the same reasons as were provided in the discussion of claims 1 and 4-8, which recite a method performing these same steps.
With regards to claim 17, Karras discloses a processor and computer readable medium at ¶¶ [0032]-[0036]. The steps performed by the apparatus of this claim are anticipated by Karras for the same reasons as were provided in the discussion of claim 1, which recites a method performing these same steps.
With regards to claim 20, the steps performed by the apparatus of this claim are anticipated by Karras for the same reasons as were provided in the discussion of claim 6, which recites a method performing these same steps.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DAVID F DUNPHY whose telephone number is (571)270-1230. The examiner can normally be reached 9 am - 5 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Chineyere Wills-Burns can be reached at (571) 272-9752. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DAVID F DUNPHY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2673
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