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 .
2. This Office Action is sent in response to Applicant’s Communication received on October 22, 2024 and January 3, 2025 for application number 18/922,566. This Office hereby acknowledges receipt of the following and placed of record in file: Specification, Drawings, Abstract, Oath/Declaration, and Claims.
3. Claims 18-21 are presented for examination. Claims 1-17 have been amended.
Priority
4. Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in parent Application No. KR 10-2016-0066015, filed on May 28, 2016; Application No. KR 10-2016-0075787, filed on June 17, 2016; Application No. KR 10-2016-0075723, filed on June 17, 2016; Application No. KR 10-2017-0035361, filed on March 21, 2017; Application No. KR 10-2017-0048441, filed on April 14, 2017; and Application No. KR 10-2017-0060576, filed on May 16, 2017.
5. Applicant’s claim for the benefit of a prior-filed application No. PCT/KR2017/005497, filed on May 26, 2017, under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) or under 35 U.S.C. 120, 121, 365(c), or 386(c) is acknowledged.
Information Disclosure Statement
6. The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on October 22, 2024 and February 7, 2025 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Double Patenting
7. The nonstatutory double patenting rejection is based on a judicially created doctrine grounded in public policy (a policy reflected in the statute) so as to prevent the unjustified or improper timewise extension of the “right to exclude” granted by a patent and to prevent possible harassment by multiple assignees. A nonstatutory double patenting rejection is appropriate where the conflicting claims are not identical, but at least one examined application claim is not patentably distinct from the reference claim(s) because the examined application claim is either anticipated by, or would have been obvious over, the reference claim(s). See, e.g., In re Berg, 140 F.3d 1428, 46 USPQ2d 1226 (Fed. Cir. 1998); In re Goodman, 11 F.3d 1046, 29 USPQ2d 2010 (Fed. Cir. 1993); In re Longi, 759 F.2d 887, 225 USPQ 645 (Fed. Cir. 1985); In re Van Ornum, 686 F.2d 937, 214 USPQ 761 (CCPA 1982); In re Vogel, 422 F.2d 438, 164 USPQ 619 (CCPA 1970); In re Thorington, 418 F.2d 528, 163 USPQ 644 (CCPA 1969).
A timely filed terminal disclaimer in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(c) or 1.321(d) may be used to overcome an actual or provisional rejection based on nonstatutory double patenting provided the reference application or patent either is shown to be commonly owned with the examined application, or claims an invention made as a result of activities undertaken within the scope of a joint research agreement. See MPEP § 717.02 for applications subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA as explained in MPEP § 2159. See MPEP § 2146 et seq. for applications not subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . A terminal disclaimer must be signed in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(b).
The filing of a terminal disclaimer by itself is not a complete reply to a nonstatutory double patenting (NSDP) rejection. A complete reply requires that the terminal disclaimer be accompanied by a reply requesting reconsideration of the prior Office action. Even where the NSDP rejection is provisional the reply must be complete. See MPEP § 804, subsection I.B.1. For a reply to a non-final Office action, see 37 CFR 1.111(a). For a reply to final Office action, see 37 CFR 1.113(c). A request for reconsideration while not provided for in 37 CFR 1.113(c) may be filed after final for consideration. See MPEP §§ 706.07(e) and 714.13.
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8. Claims 18 is rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claim 1 of U.S. Patent No. 11,736,712 B2. Although the claim at issue is not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because claim 18 is just claim 1 of U.S. Patent No. 11,736,712 B2 with minor English language syntax differences.
Claim 1 of U.S. Patent No. 11,736,712 B2 is much more specific and claim 18 of the present application is broader in scope than claims that are already issued. Therefore, claim 18 of the present application are anticipated by claim 1 of U.S. Patent No. 11,736,712 B2. A double patenting rejection is needed to prevent two claims to the same invention.
Still further, please refer to the following table for the correspondence of claims between the present application and U.S. Patent No. 11,736,712 B2:
Instant application
U.S. Patent No. 11,736,712 B2
Note: bold means difference
18. A method of video decoding comprising:
receiving a bitstream,
wherein the bitstream comprises compressed video data and a transform region information,
wherein the compressed video data comprises a non-square transform block,
wherein the transform region information indicates a first transform region and a second transform region in the transform block,
wherein the first transform region comprises a first group of transform coefficients,
wherein the second transform region comprises a second group of transform coefficients,
wherein the first group of transform coefficients have lower frequencies than the second group of transform coefficients;
partitioning the transform block into the first transform region and the second transform region based on the transform region information;
obtaining a scan method for the first transform region and the second transform region;
wherein the scan method is obtained from at least two scan methods; and scanning coefficients in the first transform region and the second transform region according to the scan method.
1. A method of decoding a video signal, the video signal including transform block including at least one transform coefficient group, comprising:
determining the transform block is a non-square block by comparing a horizontal length and a vertical length of the transform block;
if the transform block is the non-square block,
receiving a bitstream including transform region information indicating at least two transform regions, the transform regions included in a transform block;
partitioning the transform block into the transform regions based on the transform region information;
obtaining a scan method of the transform regions, respectively; and
scanning a plurality of transform coefficient groups included in the transform regions based on the scan method,
wherein a first transform region of the transform regions includes a first transform coefficient groups, and a second transform region of the transform regions includes a second transform coefficient groups,
wherein the first and the second transform coefficient groups include at least one transform coefficients, respectively,
wherein the scan method comprising a scan order for coding the transform coefficients of the first and the second transform coefficient groups, wherein when the first transform coefficient groups are included in a low frequency region, the transform coefficients of the first transform coefficient groups are scanned prior to the transform coefficients of the second transform coefficient groups, and wherein the scan method of the transform regions in the transform block indicates at least two scan methods.
9. Claims 19-21 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claim 1 of U.S. Patent No. 11,736,712 B2 in view of Sole Rojals et al.(US 2012/0230417 A1)(hereinafter Sole Rojals).
With regards to claim 19, U.S. Patent No. 11,736,712 B2 in claim 1 claimed a method of decoding a video signal, the video signal including transform block including at least one transform coefficient group, comprising: determining the transform block is a non-square block by comparing a horizontal length and a vertical length of the transform block; if the transform block is the non-square block, receiving a bitstream including transform region information indicating at least two transform regions, the transform regions included in a transform block; partitioning the transform block into the transform regions based on the transform region information; obtaining a scan method of the transform regions, respectively; and scanning a plurality of transform coefficient groups included in the transform regions based on the scan method, wherein a first transform region of the transform regions includes a first transform coefficient groups, and a second transform region of the transform regions includes a second transform coefficient groups, wherein the first and the second transform coefficient groups include at least one transform coefficients, respectively, wherein the scan method comprising a scan order for coding the transform coefficients of the first and the second transform coefficient groups, wherein when the first transform coefficient groups are included in a low frequency region, the transform coefficients of the first transform coefficient groups are scanned prior to the transform coefficients of the second transform coefficient groups, and wherein the scan method of the transform regions in the transform block indicates at least two scan methods.
U.S. Patent No. 11,736,712 B2 is silent to a memory circuit, wherein the memory circuit is arranged to store image data.
However, storing image and video data in a memory circuit was well known in the art at the time of the invention was filed as evident from the teaching of Sole Rojals. More specifically, Sole Rojals discloses a storage medium 34 or file server 36 to store encoded video data as shown in Figure 4 [See Sole Rojals: at least Figs. 4-6 and par. 86, 87, 90-92, 203, 231-232].
One of ordinary skill in the art has been motivated to combine the video decoding taught by U.S. Patent No. 11,736,712 B2 with Sole Rojals’ memory to store image and video data, coding operations to write transform information into the bitstream and to output or transmit the bitstream because this combination has the benefit of storing video information more efficiently [See Sole Rojals: at least par. 3-15].
With regards to claims 20-21, U.S. Patent No. 11,736,712 B2 in claim 1 claimed a method of decoding a video signal, the video signal including transform block including at least one transform coefficient group, comprising: determining the transform block is a non-square block by comparing a horizontal length and a vertical length of the transform block; if the transform block is the non-square block, receiving a bitstream including transform region information indicating at least two transform regions, the transform regions included in a transform block; partitioning the transform block into the transform regions based on the transform region information; obtaining a scan method of the transform regions, respectively; and scanning a plurality of transform coefficient groups included in the transform regions based on the scan method, wherein a first transform region of the transform regions includes a first transform coefficient groups, and a second transform region of the transform regions includes a second transform coefficient groups, wherein the first and the second transform coefficient groups include at least one transform coefficients, respectively, wherein the scan method comprising a scan order for coding the transform coefficients of the first and the second transform coefficient groups, wherein when the first transform coefficient groups are included in a low frequency region, the transform coefficients of the first transform coefficient groups are scanned prior to the transform coefficients of the second transform coefficient groups, and wherein the scan method of the transform regions in the transform block indicates at least two scan methods.
U.S. Patent No. 11,736,712 B2 is silent to a memory circuit, wherein the memory circuit is arranged to store image data; a circuit, wherein the circuit is arranged to write transform region information into a bitstream / writing transform region information into a bitstream; and an output circuit, wherein the output circuit is arranged to output the bitstream / outputting the bitstream.
However, storing image and video data in a memory circuit, writing transform region information into a bitstream and outputting the bitstream was well known in the art at the time of the invention was filed as evident from the teaching of Sole Rojals. More specifically, Sole Rojals discloses a storage medium 34 or file server 36 to store encoded video data as shown in Figure 4. Further, quantized transform coefficients are entropy coded as shown in Figure 5. The entropy encoding engine 94 produces a bitstream carrying the encoded video. The bitstream may be transmitted to another device or stored in a data storage archive for later retrieval. In addition to the residual transform coefficient data, the bitstream may carry motion vector data and various syntax elements useful in decoding the encoded video in the bitstream [See Sole Rojals: at least Figs. 4-5, 19 and par. 86, 87, 90-92, 104, 112-113, 132-133, 176, 178-183, 203, 231-232].
One of ordinary skill in the art has been motivated to combine the video decoding taught by U.S. Patent No. 11,736,712 B2 with Sole Rojals’ memory to store image and video data, coding operations to write transform information into the bitstream and to output or transmit the bitstream because this combination has the benefit coding video more efficiently [See Sole Rojals: at least par. 3-15].
10. Claims 18 is rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claim 1 of U.S. Patent No. 12,143,624 B2. Although the claim at issue is not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because claim 18 is just claim 1 of U.S. Patent No. 12,143,624 B2 with minor English language syntax differences.
Claim 1 of U.S. Patent No. 12,143,624 B2 is much more specific and claim 18 of the present application is broader in scope than claims that are already issued. Therefore, claim 18 of the present application are anticipated by claim 1 of U.S. Patent No. 12,143,624 B2. A double patenting rejection is needed to prevent two claims to the same invention.
Still further, please refer to the following table for the correspondence of claims between the present application and U.S. Patent No. 12,143,624 B2:
Instant application
U.S. Patent No. 12,143,624 B2
Note: bold means difference
18. A method of video decoding comprising:
receiving a bitstream,
wherein the bitstream comprises compressed video data and a transform region information,
wherein the compressed video data comprises a non-square transform block,
wherein the transform region information indicates a first transform region and a second transform region in the transform block,
wherein the first transform region comprises a first group of transform coefficients,
wherein the second transform region comprises a second group of transform coefficients,
wherein the first group of transform coefficients have lower frequencies than the second group of transform coefficients;
partitioning the transform block into the first transform region and the second transform region based on the transform region information;
obtaining a scan method for the first transform region and the second transform region;
wherein the scan method is obtained from at least two scan methods; and scanning coefficients in the first transform region and the second transform region according to the scan method.
1. A method of decoding a video signal, the video signal including transform block including at least one transform coefficient group, comprising:
obtaining transform region information indicating at least two transform regions, the transform regions included in a transform block;
partitioning the transform block into the transform regions based on the transform region information, the transform region including a first transform region and a second transform region, the first transform region including a first transform coefficient groups and the second transform region including a second transform coefficient groups;
obtaining a scan method of the transform regions, respectively; and
scanning a part of the transform region based on the scan method, wherein the part of the transform region comprises the first transform region, wherein the first and the second transform coefficient groups include at least one transform coefficients, respectively,
wherein the scan method comprising a scan order for coding the transform coefficients of the first and the second transform coefficient groups, wherein when the first transform coefficient groups are included in a low frequency region, the transform coefficients of the first transform coefficient groups are scanned prior to the transform coefficients of the second transform coefficient groups, and wherein the scan method of the transform regions in the transform block indicates at least two scan methods.
11. Claims 19-21 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claim 1 of U.S. Patent No. 12,143,624 B2 in view of Sole Rojals et al.(US 2012/0230417 A1)(hereinafter Sole Rojals).
With regards to claim 19, U.S. Patent No. 12,143,624 B2 in claim 1 claimed a method of decoding a video signal, the video signal including transform block including at least one transform coefficient group, comprising: obtaining transform region information indicating at least two transform regions, the transform regions included in a transform block; partitioning the transform block into the transform regions based on the transform region information, the transform region including a first transform region and a second transform region, the first transform region including a first transform coefficient groups and the second transform region including a second transform coefficient groups; obtaining a scan method of the transform regions, respectively; and scanning a part of the transform region based on the scan method, wherein the part of the transform region comprises the first transform region, wherein the first and the second transform coefficient groups include at least one transform coefficients, respectively, wherein the scan method comprising a scan order for coding the transform coefficients of the first and the second transform coefficient groups, wherein when the first transform coefficient groups are included in a low frequency region, the transform coefficients of the first transform coefficient groups are scanned prior to the transform coefficients of the second transform coefficient groups, and wherein the scan method of the transform regions in the transform block indicates at least two scan methods.
U.S. Patent No. 12,143,624 B2 is silent to a memory circuit, wherein the memory circuit is arranged to store image data.
However, storing image and video data in a memory circuit was well known in the art at the time of the invention was filed as evident from the teaching of Sole Rojals. More specifically, Sole Rojals discloses a storage medium 34 or file server 36 to store encoded video data as shown in Figure 4 [See Sole Rojals: at least Figs. 4 and par. 86, 87, 90-92, 203, 231-232].
One of ordinary skill in the art has been motivated to combine the video decoding taught by U.S. Patent No. 12,143,624 B2 with Sole Rojals’ memory to store image and video data because this combination has the benefit of storing video information more efficiently [See Sole Rojals: at least par. 3-15].
With regards to claims 20-21, U.S. Patent No. 12,143,624 B2 in claim 1 claimed a method of decoding a video signal, the video signal including transform block including at least one transform coefficient group, comprising: obtaining transform region information indicating at least two transform regions, the transform regions included in a transform block; partitioning the transform block into the transform regions based on the transform region information, the transform region including a first transform region and a second transform region, the first transform region including a first transform coefficient groups and the second transform region including a second transform coefficient groups; obtaining a scan method of the transform regions, respectively; and scanning a part of the transform region based on the scan method, wherein the part of the transform region comprises the first transform region, wherein the first and the second transform coefficient groups include at least one transform coefficients, respectively, wherein the scan method comprising a scan order for coding the transform coefficients of the first and the second transform coefficient groups, wherein when the first transform coefficient groups are included in a low frequency region, the transform coefficients of the first transform coefficient groups are scanned prior to the transform coefficients of the second transform coefficient groups, and wherein the scan method of the transform regions in the transform block indicates at least two scan methods.
U.S. Patent No. 12,143,624 B2 is silent to a memory circuit, wherein the memory circuit is arranged to store image data; a circuit, wherein the circuit is arranged to write transform region information into a bitstream / writing transform region information into a bitstream; and an output circuit, wherein the output circuit is arranged to output the bitstream / outputting the bitstream.
However, storing image and video data in a memory circuit, writing transform region information into a bitstream and outputting the bitstream was well known in the art at the time of the invention was filed as evident from the teaching of Sole Rojals. More specifically, Sole Rojals discloses a storage medium 34 or file server 36 to store encoded video data as shown in Figure 4. Further, quantized transform coefficients are entropy coded as shown in Figure 5. The entropy encoding engine 94 produces a bitstream carrying the encoded video. The bitstream may be transmitted to another device or stored in a data storage archive for later retrieval. In addition to the residual transform coefficient data, the bitstream may carry motion vector data and various syntax elements useful in decoding the encoded video in the bitstream [See Sole Rojals: at least Figs. 4-5, 19 and par. 86, 87, 90-92, 104, 112-113, 132-133, 176, 178-183, 203, 231-232].
One of ordinary skill in the art has been motivated to combine the video decoding taught by U.S. Patent No. 12,143,624 B2 with Sole Rojals’ memory to store image and video data, coding operations to write transform information into the bitstream and to output or transmit the bitstream because this combination has the benefit coding video more efficiently [See Sole Rojals: at least par. 3-15].
Conclusion
12. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANA J PICON-FELICIANO whose telephone number is (571)272-5252. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9:00-5:00.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Christopher Kelley can be reached at 571 272 7331. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Ana Picon-Feliciano/Examiner, Art Unit 2482
/CHRISTOPHER S KELLEY/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2482