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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement submitted on 12/02/2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Double Patenting
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).
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Claims 1-4 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1, 4, 8, and 9 of U.S. Patent No. 12,192,453. Although the claims at issue are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because of the following:
Instant Application No. 18/965,386
Issued U.S. Patent No. 12,192,453
Claim 1
An encoding device that performs encoding on each of blocks obtained by dividing an image, the encoding device comprising:
a predictor configured to generate samples in a prediction block of an encoding-target block by weighted-averaging a plurality of reference samples based on a flag controlling the weighted-averaging;
a transformer/quantizer configured to perform a transform process and a quantization process on a prediction residual that represents a difference between the encoding-target block and the prediction block;
an inverse quantizer/inverse transformer configured to restore the prediction residual by performing an inverse quantization process and an inverse transform process on transform coefficients obtained by the transformer/quantizer;
a combiner configured to reconstruct the encoding-target block by combining the restored prediction residual and the prediction block; a deblocking filter configured to perform a filter process on a boundary portion between two blocks including the reconstructed encoding-target block and an adjacent block; and
a filter controller configured to control a strength of the filter process based on the flag controlling the weighted-averaging in generating the prediction block.
Claim 1
An encoding device that performs encoding on each of blocks obtained by dividing an image, the encoding device comprising:
a predictor configured to generate a prediction block of an encoding-target block by weighted-averaging a plurality of reference images using weighted coefficients determined based on a flag controlling the weighted coefficients from a weighted coefficient set including a plurality of weighted coefficients;
a transformer/quantizer configured to perform a transform process and a quantization process on a prediction residual that represents a difference between the encoding-target block and the prediction block;
an inverse quantizer/inverse transformer configured to restore the prediction residual by performing an inverse quantization process and an inverse transform process on transform coefficients obtained by the transformer/quantizer;
a combiner configured to reconstruct the encoding-target block by combining the restored prediction residual and the prediction block;
a deblocking filter configured to perform a filter process on a boundary portion between two blocks including the reconstructed encoding-target block and an adjacent block; and
a filter controller configured to control a strength of the filter process based on the flag controlling the weighted coefficients used in the weighted-averaging in generating the prediction block.
Claim 2
A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a program causing a computer to function as the encoding device according to claim 1.
Claim 8
A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a program causing a computer to function as the encoding device according to claim 1.
Claim 3
A decoding device that performs decoding on each of blocks obtained by dividing an image, the decoding device comprising:
an entropy decoder configured to output quantized transform coefficients corresponding to a decoding-target block by decoding an encoded stream;
an inverse quantizer/inverse transformer configured to restore a prediction residual by performing an inverse quantization process and an inverse transform process on the quantized transform coefficients outputted by the entropy decoder;
a predictor configured to generate samples in a prediction block of the decoding-target block by weighted-averaging a plurality of reference samples based on a flag controlling the weighted-averaging;
a combiner configured to reconstruct the decoding-target block by combining the restored prediction residual and the prediction block;
a deblocking filter configured to perform a filter process on a boundary portion between two blocks including the reconstructed decoding-target block and an adjacent block; and
a filter controller configured to control a strength of the filter process based on the flag controlling the weighted-averaging in generating the prediction block.
Claim 4
A decoding device that performs decoding on each of blocks obtained by dividing an image, the decoding device comprising:
an entropy decoder configured to output quantized transform coefficients corresponding to a decoding-target block by decoding an encoded stream;
an inverse quantizer/inverse transformer configured to restore a prediction residual by performing an inverse quantization process and an inverse transform process on the quantized transform coefficients outputted by the entropy decoder;
a predictor configured to generate a prediction block of the decoding-target block by weighted-averaging a plurality of reference images using weighted coefficients selected based on a flag controlling weighted coefficients;
a combiner configured to reconstruct the decoding-target block by combining the restored prediction residual and the prediction block;
a deblocking filter configured to perform a filter process on a boundary portion between two blocks including the reconstructed decoding-target block and an adjacent block; and
a filter controller configured to control a strength of the filter process based on the flag controlling the weighted coefficients used in the weighted-averaging in generating the prediction block.
Claim 4
A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a program causing a computer to function as the decoding device according to claim 3.
Claim 9
A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a program causing a computer to function as the decoding device according to claim 4.
Table 1
As noted above, claim 1 of the instant application is a variation of claim 1 of U.S. Patent No. 12,192,453. Specifically, claim 1 of the instant application is an encoding device which controls a strength of a deblocking filter based on a flag controlling weighted-averaging, whereas claim 1 of issued U.S. Patent No. 12,192,453 is the same device however it is specified that weighted coefficients (used in a weighted averaging) are controlled in order to change a strength of a deblocking filter. One of ordinary skill in the art would readily recognize that to influence a filter, its weighted coefficients, or “taps”, are what would be controlled/changed.
Conclusion
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/PATRICK E DEMOSKY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2486